Life of the Theotokos Counselor Activity Packet
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Theological Reflection, Divorced from the Incarnational Nature of the Christian Faith, Invalidates the Bible
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies ISSN: (Online) 2072-8050, (Print) 0259-9422 Page 1 of 10 Original Research Theological reflection, divorced from the incarnational nature of the Christian faith, invalidates the Bible Author: This article draws its inspiration from the famous excerpt of the 5th century Father and 1 Jennifer Slater Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church, Jerome, who firmly claims in his Commentary on Affiliation: Isaiah (Nn 1.2: CCL 73, 1–3) that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. By this exhortation 1Department of Philosophy, he urged Christians to recognise the serious necessity to study the Word of God as it is not Practical and Systematic an optional luxury to be used and interpreted with tawdriness. The secret of this renowned Theology, College of Human biblical scholar was to adhere to a fundamental criterion, namely, to interpret the Holy Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa Scriptures in harmony with the Roman Catholic Church’s magisterium, and thus no person is at liberty to interpret the scriptures alone and slip into self-righteous error. Jerome believed Corresponding author: that the authentic interpretation of Scripture is harmonious with the faith of the (Catholic) Jennifer Slater, Church and when ‘correctly attuned’, only then the reader is authorised to understand [email protected] Sacred Scripture. Scripture is the foundation of theological truth and this article endeavours Dates: to disclose that when the bible is not perceived as an inexhaustible source of inspiration and Received: 29 Apr. 2020 guidance, it is left open for distasteful interpretations and becomes a recipe for scripture Accepted: 02 Oct. -
The Role of Tradition
The Role of Tradition Most of our separated brethren believe that all that is needed for faith is conveyed in the Bible. This is the principle of sola scriptura (only scripture) while the Catholic teaching is "Scripture and Tradition." What does Tradition encompass? Paul teaches us that we are to hold to what is given us by Scripture and what is conveyed orally (1 Cor 11:23). This oral teaching is Tradition. The Catholic faith makes a distinction between Traditions (capital T) which are based on the teaching of apostolic times and thus can not be changed and those traditions (small t) which can be changed by the church. Examples of Traditions are: prayers for the dead, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the celebration of Sunday as the Lords' day, and the Blessed Trinity. Many of these Traditions are summed up in the early creeds such as the Apostles Creed. The (capital T) Traditions are also referred to by the Church as "Sacred Tradition." The other (small t) traditions are such practices as: priestly celibacy, specified days of fasting and/or abstinence, and kneeling and standing in Church. As time goes on, these traditions may be changed or revised as necessary for the Church to respond to God through the language, culture, problems and opportunities of our day. The Gospels tell us that Jesus was sometimes dragged into arguments between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The main difference between these two groups was that the Sadducees restricted their beliefs and rules to what was explicitly written in the Torah while the Pharisees included the wisdom of the ages (Tradition). -
YVES CONGAR's THEOLOGY of LAITY and MINISTRIES and ITS THEOLOGICAL RECEPTION in the UNITED STATES Dissertation Submitted to Th
YVES CONGAR’S THEOLOGY OF LAITY AND MINISTRIES AND ITS THEOLOGICAL RECEPTION IN THE UNITED STATES Dissertation Submitted to The College of Arts and Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology By Alan D. Mostrom UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON Dayton, Ohio December 2018 YVES CONGAR’S THEOLOGY OF LAITY AND MINISTRIES AND ITS THEOLOGICAL RECEPTION IN THE UNITED STATES Name: Mostrom, Alan D. APPROVED BY: ___________________________________________ William L. Portier, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor ___________________________________________ Sandra A. Yocum, Ph.D. Faculty Reader ___________________________________________ Timothy R. Gabrielli, Ph.D. Outside Faculty Reader, Seton Hill University ___________________________________________ Dennis M. Doyle, Ph.D. Faculty Reader ___________________________________________ William H. Johnston, Ph.D. Faculty Reader ___________________________________________ Daniel S. Thompson, Ph.D. Chairperson ii © Copyright by Alan D. Mostrom All rights reserved 2018 iii ABSTRACT YVES CONGAR’S THEOLOGY OF LAITY AND MINISTRIES AND ITS THEOLOGICAL RECEPTION IN THE UNITED STATES Name: Mostrom, Alan D. University of Dayton Advisor: William L. Portier, Ph.D. Yves Congar’s theology of the laity and ministries is unified on the basis of his adaptation of Christ’s triplex munera to the laity and his specification of ministry as one aspect of the laity’s participation in Christ’s triplex munera. The seminal insight of Congar’s adaptation of the triplex munera is illumined by situating his work within his historical and ecclesiological context. The U.S. reception of Congar’s work on the laity and ministries, however, evinces that Congar’s principle insight has received a mixed reception by Catholic theologians in the United States due to their own historical context as well as their specific constructive theological concerns over the laity’s secularity, or the priority given to lay ministry over the notion of a laity. -
Architects of Communion Guide for Parish Development
• Architects of Communion Guide for Parish Development The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter 7730 Westview, Houston, Texas 77055 | 713.609.9292 www.ordinariate.net DECREE Whereas the Guide for Parish Development newly created for use in the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter provides an essential tool for evaluating the development of our communities from their earliest beginnings as groups in formation through to their canonical erection as Parishes; Whereas the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus established the Ordinariates for the purpose of unity and “organizing our lives around the Parish… [as] the principal indicator of our commitment to full communion”; Whereas the Guide was reviewed and amended by the Governing Council which, on May 9, 2016, approved it and recommended that it be promulgated throughout the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter; I therefore accept the text and promulgate the Guide for Parish Development for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter as the evaluative instrument for guiding parochial development. Given in Houston, on this 31st day of May, in the year of Our Lord 2016, the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. +STEVEN J. LOPES, STD Bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter Architects of Communion Guide for Parish Development Introduction he clergy and faithful of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter are called to be architects of communion, simultaneously preserving the distinctiveness and integrity of their communities while demonstrating commitment to act in communion with the broader Church. -
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. -
Piety of the Laity in Byzantium
Piety of the Laity in Byzantium Nicholas Marinides Over fifty years ago the historian Norman Baynes noted a dual ethic of lay and monastic ways of life in Byzantium, “two standards, one of the ordinary Christian living his life in the work-a-day world and the other standard for those who were haunted by the words of Christ: ‘if thou wouldst be perfect’”1. This dualism still faces the Orthodox Christian who is steeped in the ascetical ethos of the Fathers of the Church and has the opportunity to visit flourishing Orthodox monasteries in Europe and America. The event that, for me, crystallized the question of this duality and led me to make it the focus of my dissertation was that great classic of the Orthodox monastic tradition, the Ladder of Divine Ascent by John Klimakos, abbot of Mt. Sinai. The Ladder is a work of extraordinary literary beauty and uncompromising monastic austerity. I wondered how this paradoxical work could both attract the lay faithful and keep them at a distance. If the Ladder is supposed to be climbed by monks, do laypeople have to remain eternally at its bottom step gazing up? Ecclesiologically speaking, how can the Church be One and Holy, if such a differentiation makes it impossible for all to share a single consciousness of Christian holiness? By now some of you may be wondering why I am discussing the relations of laypeople to monks and not to clergy. My reasons are largely historical. The role of the clergy was certainly important in Byzantium, but it was the holy monk who captured the Byzantine imagination and was, as Baynes says, “the realization of the Byzantine ideal.”2 Having through extraordinary ascetic effort achieved a state of untroubled tranquility, he transmitted God’s favor to the laypeople, who toiled away in a life of socio-economic duty. -
The Establishment in England and Wales of a Personal Ordinariate for Groups of Faithful and Their Clergy from the Anglican Comm
EMBARGOED UNTIL 12.00 NOON TUESDAY 11 JANUARY 2011 A Statement from the General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales THE ESTABLISHMENT IN ENGLAND AND WALES OF A PERSONAL ORDINARIATE FOR GROUPS OF FAITHFUL AND THEIR CLERGY FROM THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION ENTERING INTO FULL COMMUNION WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Introduction On or before 15 January 2011, it is expected that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will publish a Decree which will formally establish a ‘Personal Ordinariate’ in England and Wales (from here on referred to as ‘the Ordinariate’) for groups of Anglican faithful and their clergy who wish to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. The establishment of this Ordinariate will be the first fruit of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, issued by Pope Benedict XVI on 4 November 2009. The Constitution and the Complementary Norms published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith provide the essential norms which will enable members of the Ordinariate to preserve within the Catholic Church those elements of Anglican ecclesial prayer, liturgy and pastoral practice (patrimony) that are concordant with Catholic teaching and which have nurtured and nourished their Christian faith and life. In time, it is expected that further Ordinariates will be established in other parts of the world to meet the desire of those Anglican communities who in a similar way seek to be united in communion with the Successor of St Peter. As a new structure within the Catholic Church, there will be many ‘frequently asked questions’ about the Ordinariate. -
The Laity in the Church
SEMINAR PAPER THE LAITY IN THE CHURCH If this is the century of the Church, then it is certainly the century of the laity in the Church also. While much objective data could be pre- sented to show the truth of this statement, perhaps nothing is more revealing than the fact that it is a layman who is writing these words, committed to the whole people of God in all of its oneness as well as its "wonderful diversity,"1 committed both to the hierarchical and ministe- rial priesthood as well as his special status as a layman.2 In spite of some ecclesial self-criticism, perhaps these are more privileged times than we know, not only because we can acknowledge "that all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status are called to the fullness of the Christian life,"3 but also because all of God's people can come together in dialogue to share ideas and deepen insights into their distinctive functions within the Church. This paper on the role of the laity will confine itself to three major topics. First, we will explore the historical context of the question of laity; secondly, we will present the foundations of a theological interpre- tation of what it means to be a lay person; thirdly, we will make a few practical suggestions about ways in which the lay person can be fully active within the Church, and as the Church's representative in the secular world. I Any effort to examine a theology of the laity must keep two factors in mind. -
Cooperation and Autonomy. the Relationship Between the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Latin Majority in America
Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies Vol. 40 (1999) Nos. 1–4, pp. 143–161 Cooperation and Autonomy. The Relationship Between the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Latin Majority in America Bishop Wilton D. Gregory Abstract (Українське резюме на ст. 160) Bishop Wilton Gregory, invited to speak from the Na- tional Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States, uses his intervention to trace some of the history of the rela- tionships between the relatively small Eastern Catholic Churches and the vast majority of American Catholics, who belong to the Roman Church. He touches upon the history of inter-relations and emphasizes that, especially in the early decades, Eastern Catholics in the U.S.A. experienced dis- crimination and ill treatment from some Roman Catholics. For this he publicly apologized to his Eastern brothers and sisters, emphasizing that these problems were not limited to North America. The whole Latin Church, until the Second Vatican Council, adhered to the notion of the superiority of the Latin Rite. The Church has abandoned this approach but much still needs to be done to strengthen relationships. The author then addresses concrete questions of coopera- tion at the diocesan and local levels. Among the matters touched upon are: the need for Roman Catholics to learn more about the Eastern Churches, the attendance of Eastern Catho- lic children at Roman Catholic parochial schools at the ele- mentary and high school levels, as well as the problems of proselytism which arise when teachers and pastors lack knowledge of the Eastern Churches. Dealing with the issue of cooperation at the national level, the author expounds upon the good relations in the Bishops’ Conference, also touching upon several important questions: among them the necessity of developing and ad- 144 Bishop Wilton D. -
Project for Orthodox Renewal Orthodox Christian Laity
Project for Orthodox Renewal Orthodox Christian Laity www.ocl.org Seven Studies of Key Issues Facing Orthodox Christians in America Originally published in 1993. Steven J. Sfekas George E. Matsoukas, Editors Prayer Honoring the Holy Spirit Heavenly King and Comforter, Spirit of Truth, present everywhere, who fillest creation, the Treasure of all blessings and Giver of life, come and dwell within us. Purify us from every blemish and save our souls, O gracious God. We DEDICATE this book to the Spirit of Truth present in all of us baptized, chrismated, Orthodox Christians and we pray that, through prayer, discipline, faith and study, we learn to listen and trust the Holy Spirit in us and to act responsibly, as is our duty, for the Good of Christ's Church. Table of Contents Introduction …........................................................................................................................................2 Faith, Language and Culture ..................................................................................................................4 Spiritual Renewal ..................................................................................................................................13 Orthodox Women and Our Church …...................................................................................................30 Mission and Outreach ….......................................................................................................................47 Selection of Hierarchy …......................................................................................................................72 -
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. -