public, the faithful could not know who their legitimate teachers and rulers are. Hence a succession that was not public would have no purpose. This succession must be legitimate, for otherwise it would be against the will of Christ. This succession must never be interrupted, for the power cannot be given to another except by those who possess it. If there is no connection with the Apostles and the primate, there is no power to give. 320. Notice that if there is no Apostolic succession there is no Apostolic origin or doctrine; for, if the succession breaks away from the Apostles, then those who exercise the powers to teach and rule must get their power from another source than that of the Apostles and hence they would not be Apostolic in origin. 321. Besides, infallibility was promised to the Apostolic teaching-body alone, together with its primate; and so, if the succession should fail, the infallible teaching-body would fail, and the Church would not be rightly Apostolic in its doctrines. 322. From all this we see that Apostolic succession, especially in the Primacy, is a power to be investigated as one of the most fundamental in Christ's Church. The Primacy and connection with it is, then, the first of all means for distinguishing the true Church of Christ from others that claim His name. TEST QUESTIONS 1. Prove in general that the Church is Apostolic. 2. Define and explain Apostolic origin. 3. Define and explain Apostolic doctrine. 4. Define and explain Apostolic succession. 5. Prove that the Church of Christ is Apostolic in origin. 6. Prove that the Church of Christ is Apostolic in doctrine. 7. Why is a succession of persons in the office of teaching and ruling necessary? 8. Why must this succession be public? 9. Why must this succession be legitimate? LESSON XLVI THE LIFE OF CHRIST JESUS GIVES LIFE TO THE DEAD SON OF A WIDOWED MOTHER Notes. Luke VII, 11-17. 1. Naim was a small town twenty-five miles southwest of Capharnaum, Jesus was on His third journey, from Capharnaum, into Judea, then to Galilee, and back to Capharnaum. It was probably near evening when Our Lord approached the gates of Naim, because burials usually took place after sunset. 2. Notice how a great multitude accompanied Him from Capharnaum. This is a striking feature of Our Lord's life and journeys, and it gives us an insight into His winning, magnetic personality. The people simply cannot keep away from Him, and neither hunger nor thirst, weary journeys, nights in the open air, inclement weather, business and family affairs at home, nothing is able to draw them away from Christ. If we ever come to know Christ intimately, nothing will ever separate us from Him. 3. The miracle is very extraordinary: (1) Our Lord is moved by compassion for the sorrowing mother and consoles her, "Weep not"; (2) Our Lord simply commands the young man to arise, and the effect and its manner of accomplishment prove Our Lord to be God, the absolute Master of life and death; (3) the miracle is worked before a great multitude, the disciples and crowds who had followed Jesus, and the great multitude in the funeral procession. No wonder that a fear came on them all and they confessed that Our Lord was a great Prophet! DOCTRINE CHRIST FOUNDED ONLY ONE CHURCH 323. By the words "only one" we mean that Christ established a Church one in number, and hence, outside this one Church, there is no Church of Christ. 324. The proof is in these words: "I will build my Church" (Matthew XVI, 18). Other names given the Church show that it is one and only one, for it is called a "kingdom," a "city," a "house, "the "body of Christ," one sheepfold, under one shepherd. Always it is My Church, and the one Christ built on Peter the rock.1 325. The Church, besides being only one in number, has in itself a great unity, for it is one teaching-body, with one rulingpower, with one primate who is head teacher and ruler, and an authority to teach and rule under a primacy which will be perpetual and unchangeable. 326. Again there is marvelous unity in the profession of the same faith, i.e., the entire doctrine of Christ is preserved unchanged in its essentials in the teaching of the Church. 327. Again, the Church is a society, the members of which are united by the triple bond of one faith, one obedience, one baptism.2 "Again, the Church is almost always spoken of by Our Lord as 'the Kingdom'; and scarcely any other metaphor could have been chosen by Him more suited to express the twofold oneness we attribute to it. It is not a federation of independent States; it is not composed of loosely compacted parts. A similar idea is presented to us by the other titles which He gives it: 'a city,' 'a household,' 'a sheepfold,' 'a flock,' 'a people'; by the parables of the 'field,' the 'net,' the grain of mustard seed,' and most clearly by Our Lord's own declaration to the Jews: 'Other sheep I have that are not of this fold; them also I must bring; and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.' Where you will note that there is not a question of a mere wish or hope, put forward however earnestly by Christ, nor of a mere precept enjoined by Him on His followers, but of a prediction and a promise, which of necessity carry fulfilment with them. Indeed, as Our Lord Himself argued on another occasion, and in reference to 'the Kingdom': 'Every Kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.' And hence His phrase to St. Peter: 'Upon this rock I will build My Church. . . . . and I will give to thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.' 'My Church,' 'My Kingdom,' is to be one and to be placed under one visible authority or ruler."-P. Finlay, S.J., lib. cit., p. 107. * "Under the Gospel scheme, then, there is no place for indifferentism in religion. In the eyes of Christ and of His Apostles, one religion, one Church is not as good as another. It is not sufficient, even were it possible, to lead an honourable and upright life, to be just, truthful and benevolent, and to set aside all Churches and religions whatsoever. If Christ is God; if He has revealed a religion to mankind; if He has TEST QUESTIONS 1. What is meant by saying that Christ established “only one” Church? 2. How do you prove that Christ established "only one" Church? 3. Show some unities in the Church. 4. Show from the metaphor of the Kingdom how Christ established only one Church. 5. How is Indifferentism refuted by our argument in this lesson? See Footnote 2. established a spiritual society or Church on earth; if He has commanded all men to become members of it; and if that society still exists on earth today: then all men are bound to hearken to the Divine voice, to embrace the religion He has revealed, and enter into the Church which He has founded. To do otherwise, when the truth has been made known to them, is rebellion against God; it is to reject His authority when He commands."-P. Finlay, S.J., lib cit., p. 126. LESSON XLVII THE LIFE OF CHRIST JESUS TESTIFIES TO HIS DIVINITY AND PRAISES JOHN Notes. Luke VII, 18-35; Matthew XI, 2-19. 1. John was in prison and, in order that his disciples might hear the actual testimony of Our Lord to His mission, he sends them to ask definitely if He is the Messias. John himself knew; he sends his disciples for their own instruction, as if he said to them: "You keep asking me if Jesus is the Messias. I have told you time and time again that He is. I pointed Him out to you and to all the world as the Messias. But if you are not yet convinced from what I say, go yourselves; tell Him I sent you; ask Him your question, and then come back and tell me what He says." 2. Jesus simply answered that He taught and worked miracles as only the Messias could, and as it had been foretold that the Messias would; therefore, He is the Messias. But he warns them not to be scandalized because He is human as well as divine; because He is not the military world-conqueror the Jews wrongly expected. Our Lord then praises John as no man has been praised. 3. And yet the least saint in heaven is greater than John while he is on earth; and the way to attain heaven is to believe in the Divinity of Christ and to fulfill the teachings of His Church. Distorted personal views arising from private judgment, such as the Pharisees had, concerning the Messias, lead only to childish misjudgments and childish selfishness. 4. The Pharisees are like stubborn spectators who are pleased neither with the sweet music of Christ's true doctrine nor with the stern music of John's message warning them to prepare for Christ's coming. DOCTRINE THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS CATHOLIC, I.E., 328. The word "Catholic" is formed from two Greek words meaning "through all" and signifies the same as the Latin word universalis, i.e., universal. Catholicity and universality mean the same thing. |