Catholicism For Dummies. Rev. Kenneth Brighenti
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Respecting the role of the Church and its leaders
Catholics firmly believe that Jesus Christ personally founded the Church and He entrusted it to the authority and administration of Saint Peter (the first pope) and his successors. In this section, we explain what Catholics believe the Church really is, as well as how its leadership is structured.
What “the Church” really is
The word church has many meanings. Most obviously, it can signify a building where sacred worship takes place. The Catholic Church is not one particular building even though the head of the Church (the pope) lives next to Saint Peter’s Basilica (the largest church in the world) in Rome. People who use the church building — the body or assembly of believers — are also known as the church. When that body is united under one tradition of worship, it is called a liturgical church, such as the Eastern Catholic Church, the Melkite Church, the Ruthenian Church, or the Latin or Roman Rite Church.
At an even more profound level, the entire universal Church (meaning the Catholic Church around the world) is theologically considered the Mystical Body of Christ. In other words, the Church sees herself as the living, unifying, sanctifying, governing presence of Jesus Christ on earth today. Not just an organization with members or an institution with departments, the Church is an organic entity; it is alive. Its members, as Saint Paul says in his epistle (1 Corinthians 12:12–31), are like parts in a body. Just as your body has feet, hands, arms, legs, and so on, the Church has many members (parts) but is also one complete and whole body. (See Chapter 5 for a complete discussion of this topic.)
Unlike a club or association you belong to, the Church is more than an informal gathering of like-minded people with similar goals and interests. The Church was founded by Christ for a specific purpose: to save us. The Church is an extension of Jesus and continues the work begun by Him. He came to teach, sanctify, and govern God’s people as the Anointed One (called Messiah in Hebrew and Christ in Greek).
Anyone who has not consciously and deliberately rejected Christ and the Catholic Church can still be saved. In other words, besides the formal members (baptized, registered parishioners), there are many anonymous and unofficial members of the Church who act in good faith and follow their conscience, living virtuous lives. Someone may be innocently ignorant of the necessity of Christ and His Church and still achieve salvation from both.
One body with many members: That is how the Church sees herself. Her mission is to provide everything her members need — spiritually, that is. From the seven sacraments that give us grace to the Magisterium that teaches essential truths to the hierarchy that brings order through laws and governance, the Church is there to give the soul what it needs on its journey to heaven. More than a convenient option, the Church is a necessary and essential society (community) where members help each other, motivated by the same love.
The Catholic chain of command
Every group of human beings needs a chain of command (authority) and a set of rules (laws), which enable the group to maintain security, provide identity, and promote unity. Families depend on parental authority over the children. Nations have constitutions that delineate and define powers. The Church has authority that she believes comes directly from God. For example, the Lord gave Moses not only the Ten Commandments (see Chapter 12) but also many other laws and rules to help govern God’s people to keep them safe.
Canon law is the set of rules and regulations the Church enacted to protect the rights of persons and the common good of all the members. The word hierarchy means “leveled tier.” Like the Roman army of old, the Church adopted a chain of command. The highest authority resides in the person of the pope, who is always simultaneously the Bishop of Rome. He is the Successor of Saint Peter, the man to whom Christ entrusted the keys of the kingdom.
The pope is the Church’s supreme lawmaker, judge, and visible leader. He is also called the Vicar of Christ on earth. As the Church’s ambassador to the world, he possesses full, supreme, and universal power the moment he takes office. He is elected pope by the college of cardinals, which exists to elect a pope after the current one dies (or freely resigns) and also to advise, counsel, and assist the reigning pope (see Chapter 6).
The terms Vatican and Holy See refer to the various departments, commissions, congregations, and so on that help the pope govern the Church, evangelize and teach the faith, and maintain and promote justice.
Jesus not only entrusted the Church to Saint Peter and his successors (the popes), but He also had Twelve Apostles whose successors are called bishops. A bishop shepherds a local church called a diocese, whereas the pope shepherds the universal, global Church around the world. Bishops are helped in each parish church by a pastor who is a priest, and often they are helped by a deacon and/or a parochial vicar (assistant pastor). The bishops of a nation or geographical region form Episcopal conferences, which provide the benefit of pooled resources. For the complete scoop on the Church hierarchy, be sure to check out Chapter 6.
Worshipping as a Catholic: The Holy Mass
The second pillar of faith in the Catholic religion is the seven sacraments — or in more general terms, divine worship of God as celebrated in the sacred liturgy (the topic of Part 2 of this book). The ceremonies, rituals, and rites performed for the past 2,000+ years were developed by the Church to render worship of the Almighty, to teach the faith to the believers, and to give moral guidance on how to live that faith. The seven sacraments are the most sacred and ancient Catholic rites. They mark the seven major stages of spiritual development:
Baptism: You are born.
Holy Eucharist: You are fed.
Confirmation: You grow.
Penance: You need healing.
Anointing of the Sick: You recover.
Matrimony: You need family.
Holy Orders: You need leaders.
Because humans have five senses and can’t physically see what’s happening in the spiritual realm, the seven sacraments involve physical, tangible symbols (such as the water used in Baptism, the oil for anointing, and unleavened