Catholicism For Dummies. Rev. Kenneth Brighenti
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parish priests and deacons. The Church has one governing authority (hierarchy) and one teaching authority (Magisterium). The Church has one body of truths she teaches (found in the Catechism) and one body of divine worship (the seven sacraments).
Holy (sanctity): The Church is holy because her founder is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and second person of the Holy Trinity. She is also the Bride of Christ and is considered the Mystical Body of Christ as well. That association and union with divinity itself makes the Church holy. But she also has been given by God Himself all the necessary divine revealed truths and all the necessary divine grace to save souls (help people get to heaven). This does not mean that members have it made and need to do nothing else except belong. It does mean that holiness is possible and promoted by the Church at the will and command of her founder, Jesus Christ. One becomes a saint through, with, and in the Church.
Catholic (universality): The word Catholic derives from the Greek katholikos, which means “universal.” The Church’s mission is universal. It is to spread the Good News about Jesus (also called the Gospel) to all men and women all over the world. The Church is not confined to any one nation or country. That’s why it’s not called the Church of Italy, the Church of Spain, the Church of America, or the Church of Europe. It is the Catholic Church, which belongs to Christ and is found everywhere around the world. Embracing all languages, continents, cultures, and races, the Church is universal and promotes universality. Human beings belong to the same human race even though they live in different parts of the world and speak different tongues.
Apostolic (continuity): The last mark refers to the fact that the Catholic Church can trace its foundations to Christ Himself and to the Twelve Apostles. Also, every deacon, priest, and bishop can trace his ordination lineage back to one of the original apostles; this is called apostolic succession. A verifiable and direct connection exists between the apostles whom Jesus handpicked and their direct successors, the bishops. Also, there is direct succession of all the popes, from Saint Peter to his 265th successor, Pope Francis.
Fulfilling Its Mission
The mission of the Church is the continuation of Christ’s mission: to proclaim the Gospel to the entire world for all generations. Christ gave the mission to His church when He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). Evangelization is the mission, and all baptized Christians are involved. So if you’re a member of the Church, your life’s work is intertwined with the salvific duty of the Savior: to reconcile fellow people with God.
As we explain in Chapter 19, all members of the Church are commissioned to perform the Corporal Works of Mercy, which are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, visit the sick, ransom the captive, and bury the dead. The baptized also continue the mission of Christ by exercising the Spiritual Works of Mercy, which are to instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish the sinner, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses willingly, comfort the afflicted, and pray for the living and the dead.
Jesus chose the Twelve Apostles and 70 disciples to help continue His mission after He died, rose, and ascended to heaven. Before being able to evangelize, His men needed to be taught the message, sanctified so they could receive the message worthily, and organized to effectively achieve success in the mission. Christ the priest, prophet, and king therefore sanctified, taught, and shepherded His disciples and Apostles. The Church continues that process today.
The priestly office: Sanctifying through the sacraments
Jesus Christ the priest instituted the seven sacraments (see Chapters 8 and 9) in order for the faithful to become holy, to receive His divine life, and to become stronger on earth in their journey to heaven. Sanctifying grace makes the soul holy and pleasing to God; given at Baptism, this grace is the indwelling of the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in the soul of the individual person. The priestly (sanctifying) office of Christ and His Church makes the human soul disposed to the gift of divine grace, which makes one holy in the eyes of God.
The sacraments are the visible signs instituted by Christ to confer grace. For the faithful, the sacraments are the necessary vehicles of grace for the sole purpose of salvation. In an analogous way, the Church is what theologians call the primordial sacrament — that is, the sacred institution where the seven sacraments are bestowed. The Church and the sacraments both continue the sacred work of Christ’s redemption. The effects of the sacraments on the faithful create a bond of unity that is most visible in the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.
The prophetic office: Teaching through the Magisterium
The official term for the teaching (prophetic) office of the Church is the Magisterium (from the Latin magister, meaning “teacher”). The Magisterium is made up of the pope and all the bishops around the world in communion with Him. When the Church teaches on matters of faith and morals, she is infallible (free from error). But on matters of science, economics, astronomy, athletics, and so on, she has no charism (gift) of infallibility.
As we detail in Chapter 6, there are two levels of infallibility — ordinary and extraordinary — and the same levels apply to the Magisterium. Therefore, we have an Ordinary Magisterium and an Extraordinary Magisterium. Both are infallible in content, but here’s how they differ:
Ordinary Magisterium: These teachings deal with the consistent and perennial common teaching of all the popes and bishops (in union with the pope) throughout history. Examples from this office include papal teachings on birth control or the ordination of women; these are just retellings of guidelines that have always been taught by popes and bishops throughout Catholic history.
Extraordinary Magisterium: The name says it all; these teachings are rare. This level proclaims the Church’s stance on doctrines formulated by ecumenical councils, after meetings of all Church bishops, or after the pope has made an ex cathedra decree. There have been only 21 ecumenical councils and two ex cathedra decrees.
Church history buffs: Turn to Chapter 6 for the lowdown on what kind of teachings you can expect to come from the pope.