Transcript Keeping the Faith - St Ann Catholic Church, Fayetteville

The Living Teaching Office
of the Catholic Church
My God, give me the grace
to perform this action with you
and through love for you.
In advance, I offer to you
all the good that I will do
and accept all the difficulty I may meet
therein.
St. Ann, Pray for us.
St. Francis de Sales, Pray for us
 Definitions
 Basis in Scripture
 The Church Fathers
 Infallibility
 The Conscience
 Submission of the Will
and Intellect
Magisterium: The teaching
authority of the Church
exercised by the Pope and
Bishops
It’s Purpose: To preserve the
Deposit of Faith as handed
down from Christ to his
Church
Living Faith – Open to the
deepening of understanding
of revealed doctrines
The Role of a
Bishop:
to teach,
to sanctify,
to govern
the faithful
Ordinary Magisterium: of the Pope and the
bishops in communion with him teach the
faithful the truth to believe, the charity to
practice, the beatitude to hope for
Examples:
The defense of all human life from conception to
natural death
The Social Teaching of the Catholic Church
The rights of workers, the right to just wage
The teaching on Guardian Angels
Extraordinary Magisterium refers to a special
exercise of their teaching office by either the
Pope and bishops together, or the Pope alone,
gives a definitive judgment on something that
was once part of the Ordinary Magisterium.
Example:
Dogma of the Assumption in 1950
Council of Nicea in 325 defined the Divinity and
Humanity of Christ in ONE person
Sacred Scripture
 “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt.
16, 1819).
At the Last Supper:
 “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach
you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.” (Jn. 14, 26).
 “When the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete
truth” (Jn. 16,13).
St. Paul, knowing that the truth would remain in the Church, speaks of
'the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe' (1
Tim. 3, 15). Although individuals go astray, therefore, the Church will not.
 St. Peter in his warning: 'we must be most careful to remember that the
interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual' (2
Pet. 1. 20).
Fourth Pope, St. Clement, 96 AD
Instruction that if these (Bishops)
would die, other accredited persons
should succeed them in their office
 St. Ignatius of Antioch, A.D. 107
 exhorts them: 'Follow your bishop,
every one of you, as obediently as Jesus
Christ followed the Father' (Smyrneans,
no. 8).
 St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons
 “It is necessary to obey the presbyters
in the Church-those who possess the
succession from the Apostles; those who,
together with the succession of the
episcopate, have received the certain gift
of truth, according to the good pleasure of
the Father.”
 What is meant by succession? The
ecclesiastical tradition from the
Apostles, and the preaching of the
truth that has come down to us.
It is a dogma of the Catholic Church that the
Church is divinely kept from the possibility of
error in her definitive teaching on faith and
morals. ( Not Science or Art or Medicine)
Pope alone or Pope in college with Bishops, or
Ecumenical Council and assent of Pope.
Examples:
The Resurrection of Christ (Body and Soul)
The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
True Humanity and True Divinity in one Person
Other INFALLIBLE Teachings that are NOT
REVEALED in Scripture
Theological conclusions -- A conclusion drawn by
applying a truth of reason to a doctrine.
Example—Man's will is free; Christ is true man; therefore
Christ's human will was free.
Dogmatic facts -- The truth of certain historical facts
Example: Validity of a papal election. Canonization of
Saints
Truths of reason or philosophy -- The power of the
human mind to know truth, the validity and meaning
of concepts such as "nature," "person," "substance”
Example: Life begins at the moment of conception.
Marriage between a man and a woman.
Practice or Discipline
Number of candles used at Mass
Abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent
Wearing Veils in Church
Married Clergy
Liturgical Laws – Vestments - language
Cremation
Theological Definitions
Limbo
Usury (charging interest on money)
Separated brethren v. Heretics
Slavery (payment for debt / War) Chattel Slavery
was Always condemned!
Religious Freedom (Religion of the King – Religion
of the people)
The Intellect : Faculty of the Soul which allows
us to choose between – to discern between the
lesser functions of the Soul
Instinct, emotions, feelings, appetites
The Will: Highest level of the Soul. It is where
consent to something is given.
The Will must be “educated” Knowledge dictates
that decisions of the will are based on
understanding and information and not on the
lesser faculties, i.e.. Emotions or feelings.
"Deep within his conscience man discovers a
law which he has not laid upon himself but
which he must obey.
Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what
is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at
the right moment.
For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God.
His conscience is man's most secret core and his
sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose
voice echoes in his depths.“ 47 C C C
1782 Man has the right to act in conscience and
in freedom so as personally to make moral
decisions. "He must not be forced to act
contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be
prevented from acting according to his
conscience, especially in religious matters."53
1787 Man is sometimes confronted by
situations that make moral judgments less
assured and decision difficult. But he must
always seriously seek what is right and good and
discern the will of God expressed in divine law.
Man has the right to act in conscience and in
freedom.
Understanding that CONSCIENCE
Can not act contrary to Natural or Divine Law
Must be informed by the teachings of
Scripture and the Magisterium of the
Church
One may never do evil so that good may result
from it.
Submission (assent) – under the same mission
Not blindly submissive (under) to but in full
cooperation with.
Christians act together. We are not individuals
acting alone…we act in Communion with each other
ASSENT REQUIRED These doctrines require of all
members of the faithful the assent of theological
faith, based on the authority of the Word of God
(de fide credendi). Whoever obstinately places
them in doubt or denies them falls under the
censure of heresy
· The Creed and its Christological dogmas
· The various Marian dogmas
· The doctrine of the institution of the
sacraments by Christ and their efficacy with
regard to grace
· The doctrine of the real and substantial
presence of Christ in the Eucharist
· The sacrificial nature of the Eucharistic
celebration
· The foundation of the Church by the will of
Christ
· The doctrine on the primacy and infallibility of
the Roman Pontiff
· The doctrine on the existence of original sin
· The doctrine on the immortality of the spiritual
soul
· The immediate recompense after death
· The absence of error in the inspired sacred
texts
· The doctrine on the grave immorality of direct
and voluntary killing of an innocent human
being.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Apostolic Letters and Papal Encyclicals
Ex. HUMANAE VITAE
The Body of Social Teaching
Pastoral Exhortations of the United States
Catholic Conference of Bishops
Pastoral Letters from an Individual Bishop
Answer: NO – We are under the same mission