The Magisterium He Who Hears You Hears Me, and He Who Rejects You Rejects Me, and He Who Rejects Me Rejects Him Who Sent Me

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Magisterium He Who Hears You Hears Me, and He Who Rejects You Rejects Me, and He Who Rejects Me Rejects Him Who Sent Me The Magisterium He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me. ~ Luke 10:16 Five Greek Fathers of the Church from the 4th and 5th centuries: St. Athanasius, St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory Nazianzen, and St. Cyril of Alexandria EFORE CHRIST LEFT THIS EARTH, he prepared en, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heav- his apostles with everything they would en” (Mt 16:19). In short, Christ entrusted to them need to carry out their ministry. He gave all the power they would need to teach, sanctify, and Bthem special insights into the Gospel that govern in his name. He also ensured that their min- he did not give to the crowds (see Mt 11:1; Mk 4:34) istry would not die with them through his gift to the and gave them the power to forgive sins (see Jn Church of Holy Orders which could be conferred 20:22-23). When he commanded, “Do this in remem- on the apostles’ successors and their successors af- brance of me” (Lk 22:19), he gave them the power to ter them and so forth forming one unbroken chain re-enact the Last Supper and turn bread and wine of succession up to our present pope and bishops. into his Body and Blood. He gave them the pow- An example of this is found in St. Paul’s granting of er to govern when he said, his own authority to his dis- speaking to Peter directly “This power to teach ciples Sts. Timothy and Ti- and the rest of the apostles tus (see the First and Sec- united under him, “I will give authoritatively in the name of ond Letters to Timothy and you the keys of the Kingdom of Christ refers to the teaching the Letter to Titus). In the Heaven, and whatever you bind Second Letter to Timothy, on earth shall be bound in Heav- office of the Church.” St. Paul instructs the young The Association for Catechumenal Ministry (ACM) grants the original purchaser (parish, local parochial institution, or individual) permission to reproduce this handout. USA ES, bishop thus: “Follow the pattern of the VIC keys given first to Peter and then ER Y S AR IT sound words which you have heard IL passed on to future popes M E H T R from me, in the faith and love O and bishops. This respect F E S E which are in Christ Jesus; C should be as sons and IO D H guard the truth that has C daughters toward our R A E H been entrusted to you T Mother the Church, F O Y by the Holy Spir- S a true filial spirit E T R it who dwells within U that joyfully re- O us” (2 Tm 1:13- C ceives the riches 14). Later in the of its teaching, same letter, St. as well as the Paul prophesies spiritual food that “the time is of the Scrip- coming when peo- tures and the ple will not endure Eucharist. sound teaching, The Church is but having itching Mater et Magis- ears they will accu- tra (“Mother and mulate for themselves Teacher”). One teachers to suit their cannot claim to be own likings, and will a Catholic and reject A turn away from listening r A either the Church’s ch S b U to the truth” (2 Tm 4:3-4). ish es, Motherhood or its teach- op vic Ed er Only the Church, however, win ry S ing authority. O’ lita is authorized to proclaim sound Brien e Mi In a more solemn but much of the Archdiocese for th teaching that is the truth. less frequent manner, the pope or This power to teach authoritatively in the bishops gathered in council can exercise the name of Christ refers to the teaching office of the authority of the Magisterium in an extraordinary Church, called the Magisterium. In addition to the way, either when the pope issues definitive ex cathe- duty of the Church to transmit those saving truths dra statements, as Pope Pius IX did when he pro- of God’s Revelation, it claims as a matter of right, mulgated the dogma of the Immaculate Concep- entrusted to it by Christ himself, the authority to an- tion (1854) or Pope Pius XII did with the dogma of nounce moral principles and to make judgments on the Assumption (1950), or when the body of bish- human affairs when these judgments are necessary to ops, together with the pope, promulgate definitive safeguard the fundamental rights of the human per- teachings at an ecumenical Church council. All of son or to ensure the salvation of souls. This authority these extraordinary occasions produce documents extends to teaching and in- that, because of their de- terpretation of the natural finitive manner, are infal- law, since observance of “One cannot claim to be a lible and must be assented the natural law, as well as Catholic and reject either the to in faith. of revealed law, is neces- It needs to be under- sary to salvation. The of- Church’s Motherhood or its scored that the authority of fice of the Magisterium is the Magisterium is for the exercised ordinarily when teaching authority.” good of the Church and its a pope or bishop issues a function is to preserve and letter or gives public teaching to instruct and help guard the deposit of Revelation entrusted to her by guide the faithful in matters of faith and morals. Christ. The Magisterium serves the Word of God by Such pastoral help, whether from a pope, a sin- guarding it from errors and authentically interpret- gle bishop, or bishops in council, while not infalli- ing it for the Church’s faithful. In this way, it also ble teachings, must still be accepted by the faithful serves the People of God and helps guide them into at the level of religious assent as a sign of obedience the splendor of truth. to Christ’s Church and respect for the power of the (CCC 93-95, 888-892, 2032-2033, 2036, 2040) Magisterium — Page 2.
Recommended publications
  • 282 Benjamin D. Sommer Revelation and Authority Is a Major Study
    282 Book Reviews Benjamin D. Sommer Revelation and Authority: Sinai in Jewish Scripture and Tradition. The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2015. 440 pp. $50.00 Revelation and Authority is a major study of the biblical texts describing the events at Sinai/Horeb and an important theological statement. Sommer claims that the book’s primary goal is to demonstrate that Rosenzweig’s and Heschel’s claims that the Torah is the beginning of the human response to God’s reve­ lation are not a radically new but continue a line of thought from the Torah itself. Along the way, Sommer shows that one can accept contemporary bibli­ cal scholarship and fully incorporate Torah into a modern theological system. Also, he establishes that a critical reading of the Torah places law at the center of revelation, and the compiling of the Torah itself illustrates that law changes and develops through time. In Sommer’s opinion, critical biblical scholarship should not present a problem for a contemporary Jewish theologian; rather, “… the Bible as recovered by biblical critics can serve as scripture for contem­ porary Judaism” (24). Sommer states that “moral issues rather than historical­philological ones pose the most disturbing challenges” (28) to his accepting the Bible as Moses’ stenographic account of revelation. In place of Moses’ merely transcribing God’s words, Sommer argues for participatory revelation—the idea “that revela­ tion involved active contributions by both God and Israel” (1). If human activity, that is, Israel’s/Moses’ response to God’s revelation, produced the Bible, then its moral shortcomings can be explained.
    [Show full text]
  • When We Speak in Tongues, We Are Making a Conscious Decision by Faith to Speak As the Holy Spirit Is Giving Us the Language Or the Words to Say
    Purpose of Tongues Part 2 Review: - When we speak in tongues, we are making a conscious decision by faith to speak as the Holy Spirit is giving us the language or the words to say. - We can speak in two kinds of tongues: A tongue that is known in the earth and an unknown tongue that no man knows. - Tongues are used to convey a message to the church in the public setting and work in conjunction with the gift of interpretation. - The gift of tongues to convey a message to the church found 1 Corinthians 12 is not the same as the tongues you receive through the baptism in the Holy Ghost. o The gift of tongues mentioned in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 is a gift for ministering to the body of Christ in the public church service and must be accompanied with the gift of interpretation. o Not everyone will have this gift. o But the gift of tongues you receive through the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for everyone and for your personal edification. So, let’s talk about the tongue for personal edification. This tongue is the unknown tongue mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14:2 and 1 Corinthians 14:4. This is the tongue you receive when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit. Look what Paul says about this tongue in 1 Corinthians 14:4 - So, there’s a tongue that we can speak in that’s not a known tongue and it is for our personal edification o Once again this is a different tongue then the one referred to in 1 Corinthians 12.
    [Show full text]
  • “Shining the Light of Christ with Mary and the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary”
    “Shining the Light of Christ with Mary and the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary” October 27, 2018 St. Thomas Catholic Church The Holy Rosary • One tradition tells us that the Rosary came from Saint Dominic Guzman around the year 1221. Saint Dominic had been to southern France to preach against the Albigensian heresy, which denied the goodness of creation and held that the spirit is good but that matter (including the body) is evil. A common saying in Albigensianism was “the body is a tomb,” suggesting that true freedom is realized only when one is freed from the flesh. This heresy held that there are two supreme beings: a good god who created the spirit world, and an evil god who created the material world. Since matter was evil to the Albigensians, marriage and procreation were evil. Jesus was not thought to be human, nor was Mary considered the mother of God. Albigensianism denied the humanity of Christ. The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus were only illusions, and the whole concept of the cross in the Christian life was rejected. Cavins, J. (2004). The Rosary: It Beats the Rhythm of Human Life. In S. Hahn & L. J. Suprenant Jr. (Eds.), Catholic for a Reason II: Scripture and the Mystery of the Mother of God (Second Edition, p. 188). Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Road Publishing. The Holy Rosary • Albigensianism, like many newer religious fads, discounted the fact that divinity intersected with humanity in Christ. In contrast to this dualism, the prayers of the Rosary continually focus on the reality of the Incarnation.
    [Show full text]
  • A BIBLICAL STUDY of TONGUES
    A BIBLICAL STUDY of TONGUES by the late Dr. John G. Mitchell reformatted and edited by: Mr. Gary S. Dykes [several comments were added by Mr. Dykes, in brackets] 1 Is speaking in tongues the evidence of a Spirit-filled, Spirit controlled life, the outward manifestation of the baptism ‘of the Spirit of God? This is one of the important questions at issue in the Christian world today. There is much preaching and writing concerning it, much discussion and questioning and inquiry. We hear of groups meeting in our universities and colleges, and in churches of every denomination, seeking this experience. In some of our religious magazines we find accounts of the experiences of those who claim a special anointing from God, evidenced by speaking tongues. I am sure this points out the fact that among God’s people there are many hungry hearts with a great desire to know God and a real longing to see the power of God manifested. However, one thing I have noticed as I have heard and read these testimonies is that the emphasis has always been an the experience and there is very little said about the teaching of the Scripture concerning it. There is a seeking of an experience rather than a searching of the Word of God. I believe the reason why there is misunderstanding and confusion is because there is not a clear understanding of all that the Word declares. Whatever we seek let us be sure that it is according to the Word of God. This cannot be emphasized too much.
    [Show full text]
  • Archdiocese of Los Angeles Catholic Directory 2020-2021
    ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES CATHOLIC DIRECTORY 2020-2021 Mission Basilica San Buenaventura, Ventura See inside front cover 01-FRONT_COVER.indd 1 9/16/2020 3:47:17 PM Los Angeles Archdiocesan Catholic Directory Archdiocese of Los Angeles 3424 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90010-2241 2020-21 Order your copies of the new 2020-2021 Archdiocese of Los Angeles Catholic Directory. The print edition of the award-winning Directory celebrates Mission San Buenaventura named by Pope Francis as the first basilica in the Archdiocese. This spiral-bound, 272-page Directory includes Sept. 1, 2020 assignments – along with photos of the new priests and deacons serving the largest Archdiocese in the United States! The price of the 2020-21 edition is $30.00 (shipping included). Please return your order with payment to assure processing. (As always, advertisers receive one complimentary copy, so consider advertising in next year’s edition.) Directories are scheduled to begin being mailed in October. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Please return this portion with your payment REG Archdiocese of Los Angeles 2020-2021 LOS ANGELES CATHOLIC DIRECTORY ORDER FORM YES, send the print version of the 2020-21 ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES CATHOLIC DIRECTORY at the flat rate of $30.00 each. Please return your order with payment to assure processing.
    [Show full text]
  • The Catholic Faith Divine Revelation
    The Catholic Faith Divine Revelation Knowing God Faith is a gift from God that allows us to believe in him and all that he has revealed. We can know God from creation. Saint Thomas Aquinas’ five proofs of knowing the existence of God by reason. First Mover: Anything moved is moved by another. There cannot be an infinite series of movers. So there must be a first mover. First Cause: Anything caused is caused by another. There cannot be an infinite series of causes. So there must be a first cause. Necessary Being: Not everything is contingent. So there is a necessary being upon which other beings depend for their existence. Greatest Being: Whatever is great to any degree gets its greatness from that which is the greatest. So there is a greatest being, which is the source of all greatness. Intelligent Designer: Whatever acts for an end must be directed by an intelligent being. So the world must have an intelligent designer. It is not contrary to the faith to accept the theory of evolution, so long as we understand that God is our Creator, man is the highest level of creation, and man’s soul is created only by God. Man – Made in God’s Image Man is composed of a body and a soul. Man’s soul is rational. The intellect is a power of the rational soul. Man is created in God’s image. All men are created equal in dignity. Man is called to relationship and stewardship. Revelation God has revealed himself out of love for man.
    [Show full text]
  • Gifts of the Spirit 02 the Three Revelation Gifts Word of Wisdom a Word of Wisdom Has Unique Characteristics. Why Do We Need
    Notes Gifts of the Spirit 02 with Dr. Bob Abramson The Three Revelation Gifts 1 Corinthians 12:7-8, 10 (NKJV) “But the manifestation of the God uses these Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all : {8} for to one is three revelation given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word gifts to reveal of knowledge through the same Spirit…, {10} to another the things working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning supernaturally of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the that we could not interpretation of tongues.” know through our Word of Wisdom natural senses. A word of wisdom is a word, proclamation, or declaration, that is supernaturally given by God. Its purpose is to meet the need of a particular future occasion or problem. • It is given to a person through words, visions or dreams. It provides understanding and instruction on what action to take. • It is not revealed through human ability or natural wisdom. It is a God’s revelation of His plans and purposes. A Word of Wisdom has Unique Characteristics. • It is purely supernatural in origin. It is not natural wisdom. It does not follow natural rules of reason and thought. • It is supernatural in its function. It does not depend on human ability. It depends upon God. • It is supernatural in its revelation. It comes to us by the Holy Spirit. It is divine counsel that He gives to us. Why do we need a Word of Wisdom? The Holy Spirit provides a word of wisdom at the appropriate time, so we can apply supernaturally-given wisdom to a particular problem or need.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church
    The Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church The Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church A History Joseph F. Kelly A Michael Glazier Book LITURGICAL PRESS Collegeville, Minnesota www.litpress.org A Michael Glazier Book published by Liturgical Press Cover design by David Manahan, OSB. Painting in Kiev, Sofia. Photo by Sasha Martynchuk. © Sasha Martynchuk and iStockphoto. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. © 2009 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previ- ous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint John’s Abbey, PO Box 7500, Col- legeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America. 123456789 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kelly, Joseph F. (Joseph Francis), 1945– The ecumenical councils of the Catholic Church : a history / Joseph F. Kelly. p. cm. “A Michael Glazier book”—T.p. verso. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 978-0-8146-5376-0 (pbk.) 1. Councils
    [Show full text]
  • Sermon for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels – Revelation 12:7-12 “And the Great Dragon Was Thrown Down, That Ancient
    Sermon for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels – Revelation 12:7-12 “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Grace, mercy, peace be to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In today’s epistle, St. John, in the book of Revelation, tells of war. War is hell. It’s not pretty. It’s not easy. It’s messy and brutal. Ask any soldier who has come back from Iraq or Afghanistan – or who stormed the beaches of Normandy in WWII. Many will not speak of it. St. John was first addressing the early Christians who were being heavily persecuted by the Roman emperors. In Revelation’s war, Satan is cast down by the Archangel Michael and the other angels. They defeat the devil and he is stripped of his power. Strong angels battle against a strong foe. They are armed with sword and physical strength to defeat the prince of this world. But just what are the angels – and what do they do? The word “angel” means “messenger.” They serve before God's throne. They do His bidding. They worship God – as we confess in liturgy when we sing the song of the angels – the “Holy Holy Holy” – sung with angels and archangels and all the company of Heaven, including Michael, the cherubim, and the seraphim. They sing for joy and glory for salvation has come to us.
    [Show full text]
  • Revelation, Philosophy and Theology*
    Archpriest Georges Florovsky (1893-1979) Revelation, Philosophy and Theology* Chapter II of Collected Works of Georges Florovsky, Vol. III: Creation and Redemption (Nordland Publishing Company: Belmont, Mass., 1976), pp. 21-40. Quotations from the Greek have here been transliterated. I. Revelation There are two aspects of religious knowledge: Revelation and Experience. Revelation is the voice of God speaking to man. And man hears this voice, listens to it, accepts the Word of God and understands it. It is precisely for this purpose that God speaks; that man should hear him. By Revelation in the proper sense, we understand precisely this word of God as it is heard. Holy Scripture is the written record of the Revelation which has been heard. And however one may interpret the inspired character of Scripture, it must be acknowledged that Scripture preserves for us and presents to us the voice of God in the language of man. It presents to us the word of God Just as it resounded in the receptive soul of man. Revelation is theophany. God descends to man and reveals himself to man. And man sees and beholds God. And he describes what he sees and hears; he testifies to what has been revealed to him. The greatest mystery and miracle of the Bible consists of the fact that it is the Word of God in the language of man. Quite properly the early Christian exegetes saw in the Old Testamental Scriptures an anticipa- 22 tion and prototype of the coming Incarnation of God. Already in the Old Testament the Divine Word becomes human.
    [Show full text]
  • Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, the Magisterium
    2 SACRED SCRIPTURE, SACRED TRADITION AND THE CHURCH (C 101-141, USC Ch. 3) Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition form one Seven extra books in the Catholic Bible sacred deposit of the Word of God which is The Catholic Old Testament Canon contains seven committed to the Church… The task of authentically books not found in Protestant Bibles. These books are interpreting the Word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted exclusively to the Judith, Tobit, Baruch, Wisdom, Sirach and 1 & 2 living teaching office of the Church, whose Maccabees. In addition, the Catholic Bible has longer authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. versions of the books of Esther and Daniel. Catholics This teaching office is not above the Word of God sometimes call these books deuterocanonical (meaning but serves it, teaching only what has been handed “second” canon). Protestants call them apocryphal on…. with the help of the Holy Spirit: it draws from (meaning “counterfeit” or “hidden”). Why the extra this one deposit of faith everything which it presents books? Space only allows for a brief explanation. The for belief as divinely revealed. (Divine Revelation 10) Old Testament books were written in both Hebrew and Greek, the latter having the seven abovenamed books. In article one on Divine Revelation, we saw that As the gospel spread to Greek-speaking Jews and divinely revealed truth, also called the “deposit of faith” Gentiles, the Church generally used the Greek edition, is transmitted from one generation to another through also called the Septuagint. When Martin Luther, the Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • AMY M. GREEN University of Nevada, Las Vegas “MOTHER IS
    AMY M. GREEN University of Nevada, Las Vegas “MOTHER IS GOD IN THE EYES OF A CHILD:” MARIOLOGY, REVELATION, AND MOTHERS IN SILENT HILL INTRODUCTION s a mainstream, video game-based horror offering, the film Silent Hill (Christoph Gans, 2006) surprises by straying from a safe and Astraightforward narrative. Instead of offering the requisite gory showdowns with the monstrous denizens of the Silent Hill franchise, although such elements certainly do exist, screenwriter Roger Avary offers a complex study of women through a lens of Mariology, the theological study of the Virgin Mary, and the women of the book of Revelation. This focus on hyperdulia, “the ecclesiastical term for the special veneration given to the Virgin Mary,”1 lends symbolic weight especially to the female characters who anchor the film. Further still, the film explores the dichotomy of Mary, Mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. These two women, arguably the two closest to Jesus, offer a further insight of the dichotomies of mother and whore, and of the forgiver and the penitent. The resulting narrative provides several distinct categories of mothering, and the specific ties such forms have to the veneration of the Virgin Mary. The first of these categories has to do with adoptive mothers who, thought they lack a biological connection to their children, feel no less love toward them, and evokes a larger sense of maternal love akin to that the Virgin Mary is most known for, especially within the Catholic church, a deep love for humankind. The second concerns biological motherhood. In relation to the film, this is explored through a mother who betrays her child by giving that daughter over to members of her cult who she surely must suspect will do her harm, then waiting until too late to intervene on her behalf.
    [Show full text]