Monday thru Friday at www.DailyCatholic.org See why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!" e-mail: DailyCatholic@dailycatholic.org

The Pope said it; we believe it; that settles it!

      In his column today, Pat Ludwa follows up from last Thursday on the 'Chair of Peter.' He points out that 'ex cathedra' doesn't mean sitting in the chair but is synonymous with a judge ruling 'from the bench.' He asserts that too many try to rationalize what the Vicar of Christ says without taking into consideration the authority with which he pronounces it. For his column titled Teaching from the Chair of Peter, click on VIEW FROM THE PEW

Teaching from the Chair of Peter

      After writing on the 'Chair of Peter', I felt I needed to also touch on what it refers to - the infallibility of the person holding the office of the Chair of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

      When I was reading Loraine Boettner's "Catholicism" (the anti-catholic's bible), I read how he tried to show the fallacy of it by noting that the 'chair' was probably no more than a thousand years old. He states that the Church teaches that the Pope can teach infallibly only while sitting on the 'chair of Peter'. If this is so, and the chair is only about 1,000 years old, then by the Church's standard's, the Pope can't speak infallibly.

      This is of course absurd. 'Ex Cathedra' (from the chair) means no different than a judge handing down a ruling 'from the Bench'. The judge doesn't need to actually be sitting on a bench to make a decision 'from the Bench'.

      The problem is, many Catholics have the same distorted notion (carefully cultivated by some) of what teaching 'ex cathedra' (infallibly) means.

      I recall discussing this issue with one person who felt that Ordinatio Sacerdotalis wasn't an infallible teaching because the Pope didn't sit on the 'Chair of Peter', or have any other ceremony to distinguish it as an infallible statement. The first problem with this logic is that it doesn't matter whether or not he sits on the 'chair of Peter' or not.

"...This religious submission of mind and will must be shown in a special way to the authentic magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not speaking ex cathedra" (Vatican II; Lumen Gentium, Chap 3, #25)

      This is handy since, as they have been taught, if they need only follow what the Pope teaches infallibly, then they need not follow any teaching they don't feel is infallible. So they are taught that some special ceremony is needed for it to be an infallible teaching. They reject Vatican II's clear teaching that we are bound to follow his teachings, even if NOT given 'ex cathedra'.

      The other tact is to say that the Pope can teach infallibly when the entire Church joins with him, or assents to the teaching. Again, this flies in the face of authentic Vatican II teaching.

"...this is the infallibility which the Roman Pontiff, the head of the college of bishops, enjoys in virtue of his office, when, as the supreme shepherd and teacher of all the faithful, who confirms his brethren in their faith, by a definitive act he proclaims a doctrine of faith or morals. And therefore his definitions, of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church, are justly styled irreformable, since they are pronounced with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, promised to him in blessed Peter, and therefore they need no approval of others, nor do they allow an appeal to any other judgment. For then the Roman Pontiff is not pronouncing judgment as a private person, but as the supreme teacher of the universal Church, in whom the charism of infallibility of the Church itself is individually present, he is expounding or defending a doctrine of Catholic faith" (Ibid )

Note here that when the Pope teaches infallibly he " need(s) no approval of others, nor do they allow an appeal to any other judgment." No petitions, no protest, no 'loyal dissent'.

      Another misconception is that the Pope speaks nothing but infallible statements and if asked a question of faith and morals will give nothing but an infallible statement.

      Karl Keating of 'Catholic Answers' and author of the apologetics book "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" explains Papal infallibility like this. Let's say the Pope was infallible in matters of faith, morals, and math. You give him 100 math questions to answer. Will he get all 100 correct? No. Those he answers will be correct, but he need not answer all of them. This is why there is a distinction between the Pope teaching as the head of the Church on matters of faith and morals, and a private person, a fellow bishop, giving an opinion.

      To better understand this, let's look at something which is 'an exercise in infallibility'. Vatican I defined Papal infallibility this way:

"Therefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian religion, for the glory of God our Savior, for the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the salvation of the Christian people, with the approval of the sacred council, we teach and define that it is a divinely revealed dogma that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks "ex cathedra," i.e., when exercising his office as pastor and teacher of all Christians he defines, by his supreme apostolic authority, a doctrine of faith or morals which must be held by the universal Church, enjoys, through the divine assistance, that infallibility promised to him in blessed Peter and with which the divine Redeemer wanted His Church to be endowed in defining doctrine of faith or morals; and therefore that definitions of the same Roman Pontiff are irreformable of themselves." (Vatican I)

      To break it down simply, in order for a teaching to be infallible ('ex cathedra') the Papal teaching must meet four requirements.

1. intends to teach ("teacher of all the faithful")

2. by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority ("supreme pastor")

3. a matter of faith or morals ("pertaining to faith or morals")

4. to be held by the universal church. ("of all the faithful")

      Let's look at a recent 'teaching' that many have balked at being infallible.

"Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (c.f. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful."(Ordinatio Sacerdotalis; On Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone)

1. intends to teach ("teacher of all the faithful")
"Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance" He clearly intends to teach all the faithful.

2. by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority ("supreme pastor")

"in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (c.f. Lk 22:32"

3. a matter of faith or morals ("pertaining to faith or morals")
"a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself,"

4. to be held by the universal Church. ("of all the faithful") "and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful."
"I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women"

      If it walks like a duck..!

      Now many will say this doesn't relate to the faith. Doesn't it? They claim that the only reason why Christ appointed men as priests was because He was constrained by His times. Isn't He God? Is God constrained by the times? Our 'faith' declares that Jesus is Lord. If He was 'forced' by His times to do what was normal, then He isn't the Lord! And THAT is a matter of faith. Besides, if it were true that He was so 'constrained' by His times, why did He eat with sinners, tax collectors, Samaritans, etc.? Why did He perform a miracle for a Gentile Roman Centurion?

      In short, the Pope need not sit anywhere special, needs no special ceremony, or approval to teach infallibly. He need only: Intend to teach, by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, on a matter of faith or morals, and they are to be held by the universal Church.

Pax Christi, Pat

---

Message to the Americas: Learn from Christ's encounters

      Following up a year after the Bishops of North, Central and South America, along with the Caribbean contingent, met for the month-long Synod of the Americas in Rome at the end of 1997, Pope John Paul II officially closed the Synod with his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico City in January. Because of its significance for all Americans, we bring you this important document in several installments over the next few months. For those wanting to read the entire encyclical or check footnotes, go to Ecclesia in America For the second installment on Encounters with the Lord in the New Testament, click on THE VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS.

Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in America

From Pope John Paul II to the Bishops, Priests and Deacons, Men and Women Religious, and all the Lay Faithful on the encounter with the Living Jesus Christ: The Way to Conversion, Communion and Solidarity in America

Encounters with the Lord in the New Testament

8. The Gospels relate many meetings between Jesus and the men and women of his day. A common feature of all these narratives is the transforming power present and manifest in these encounters with Jesus, inasmuch as they “initiate an authentic process of conversion, communion and solidarity” (11) Among the most significant is the meeting with the Samaritan woman (cf. Jn 4:5-42). Jesus calls her in order to quench his thirst, a thirst which was not only physical: indeed, “he who asked for a drink was thirsting for the faith of that woman”.(12) By saying to her “Give me a drink” (Jn 4:7) and speaking to her about living water, the Lord awakened in the Samaritan woman a question, almost a prayer for something far greater than she was capable of understanding at the time: “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst” (Jn 4:15). The Samaritan woman, even though “she does not yet understand”,(13) is in fact asking for the living water of which her divine visitor speaks. When Jesus reveals to her that he is indeed the Christ (cf. Jn 4:26), the Samaritan woman feels impelled to proclaim to the other townspeople that she has found the Messiah (cf. Jn 4:28-30). Similarly, the most precious fruit of the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus (cf. Lk 19:1-10) is the conversion of the tax collector, who becomes aware of his past unjust actions and decides to make abundant restitution — “four times as much” — to those he had cheated. Furthermore, he adopts an attitude of detachment from material goods and of charity towards the needy, which leads him to give half of his possessions to the poor.

      Special mention should be made of the encounters with the Risen Jesus reported in the New Testament. Mary Magdalen meets the Risen One, and as a result overcomes her discouragement and grief at the death of the Master (cf. Jn 20:11-18). In his new Paschal glory, Jesus tells her to proclaim to the disciples that he has risen: “Go to my brethren” (Jn 20:17). For this reason, Mary Magdalen could be called “the apostle of the Apostles”.(14) The disciples of Emmaus, for their part, after meeting and recognizing the Risen Lord, return to Jerusalem to recount to the Apostles and the other disciples all that had happened to them (cf. Lk 24:13-35). Jesus, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Lk 24:27). Later they would recognize that their hearts were burning within them as the Lord talked to them along the road and opened the Scriptures to them (cf. Lk 24:32). There is no doubt that Saint Luke, in relating this episode, especially the decisive moment in which the two disciples recognize Jesus, makes explicit allusion to the accounts of the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus at the Last Supper (cf. Lk 24:30). The Evangelist, in relating what the disciples of Emmaus told the Eleven, uses an expression which had a precise Eucharistic meaning for the early Church: “He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread” (Lk 24:35).

      One of the encounters with the Risen Lord which had a decisive influence on the history of Christianity was certainly the conversion of Saul, the future Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, on the road to Damascus. There his life was radically changed: from being a persecutor, he became an Apostle (cf. Acts 9:3-30; 22:6-11; 26:12-18). Paul himself describes this extraordinary experience as a revelation of the Son of God “in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles” (Gal 1:16).

      The Lord always respects the freedom of those He calls. There are cases where people, in encountering Jesus, close their hearts to the change of life to which the Lord is calling them. Many people in Jesus's own time saw and heard him, and yet did not open their hearts to his word. Saint John's Gospel points to sin as the reason which prevents human beings from opening themselves to the light which is Christ: “the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (Jn 3:19). The Gospels teach that attachment to wealth is an obstacle to accepting Christ's call to follow him fully and without reserve. Here, the attitude of the rich young man is indicative (cf. Mt 19:16-22; Mk 10:17-22; Lk 18:18-23).

Personal encounters and community encounters

9. Some of the encounters with Jesus mentioned in the Gospel are clearly personal, as, for example, when he summons someone to follow him (cf. Mt 9:9; Mk 2:13-14; Lk 5:27-28). In these cases, Jesus deals familiarly with his hearers: “'Rabbi (which means teacher), where are you staying?' . . . 'Come and see'” (Jn 1:38-39). But at other times the encounters are communal in nature. This is especially true of the encounters with the Apostles, which are of fundamental importance for the constitution of the Church. Indeed, the Apostles, chosen by Jesus from among the wider circle of his disciples (cf. Mk 3:13-19; Lk 6:12-16), receive special training and enjoy a closer relationship with him. To the crowds Jesus speaks in parables, while explaining to the Twelve: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Mt 13:11). They are called to be heralds of the Good News and to carry out a special mission of building up the Church by the grace of the sacraments. To this end, they receive the necessary power: Jesus confers upon them the authority to forgive sins, invoking the same authority which the Father has given him in Heaven and on earth (cf. Mt 28:18). They would be the first to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 2:1-4), a gift then bestowed upon all who by virtue of the Sacraments of Initiation would become part of the Christian community (cf. Acts 2:38).

NEXT MONDAY: Installment Three: Chapter One, part two: Encountering Christ in the time of the Church -

---

"Again, I plead with all my priest-sons to open the churches and allow my little ones to come before my Divine Son."

      Those words from the Mother of God were imparted to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart in Message #424 on October 22, 1993 in which Our Lady asks for the churches to honor her Divine Son with Perpetual Adoration. This was asked in Bella Vista and we are happy to report that the Chairman of the Board of MIR-A-CALL Center has notified us that it has now become a reality at St. Bernard's Church in Bella Vista. All in God's time. Over the past five or six years many other churches have opened up, providing Perpetual Adoration as well as daily adoration through the efforts and prayers of many devoted souls. Our Lady prefaces her plea in her 423rd Message four days earlier by entreating her children to take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For Messages #423 and #424 from Our Lady, click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."

Messages 423 and 424

Message Four Hundred-twenty-three, October 18, 1993

(Imparted to the Hidden Flower by the Immaculate Heart of Mary)

(Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist)

      Beloved Hidden Flower, I come today to beseech all of my children to come back to my Divine Son. Only IN Him, WITH Him, and THROUGH Him shall you have peace and know joy even in the midst of great trials.

      Please hear my words and love with all your being my Divine Son Who suffered and died for you. Believe in His True Presence in the Blessed Sacrament and be fed and refreshed by this Sacrament of Love and Mercy. Cleanse yourself frequently by going to Confession.

      I do solemnly tell you that you must live holy lives, prepared for the banquet - for my Divine Son shall come soon!

      Therefore, pray! Pray! Pray! Thank you for responding to my Call!

Message Four Hundred-twenty-four, October 22, 1993

(Imparted to the Hidden Flower by the Immaculate Heart)

      Beloved Hidden Flower, I bless you as I bless all of my children everywhere.

      Please tell my children that they cannot delay their response to come back to my Divine Son any longer. The times that you have entered into shall be a sign for the hardened hearts of this generation who have made a mockery of God. These signs shall be the fulfillment of Sacred Scripture. These signs shall be given to all, and no nation shall be spared.

      Dear little children, I am pleading with you. Live holy lives, love, honor and adore my Divine Son at all times. Give Him all reverence in the Blessed Sacrament. Again, I plead with all my priest-sons to open the churches and allow my little ones to come before my Divine Son. All churches should have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, for I solemnly tell you that if you do this there will be sufficient light for you during the tangible darkness. Pray, my children. Do not speak about my messages but live them daily, for they are the Gospel message of my Divine Son.

      Offer yourselves daily to the Most Blessed Trinity as willing victims of Divine Love, and abandon yourselves to God. He Who is your true Father shall care for you in every way that will lead you to salvation.

      Pray, little children and be of one mind and one heart through the grace of the Holy Spirit.

      I love and bless you. I give you my Divine Son's Peace. Thank you for responding to my Call!

---

SIMPLY SHEEN:

Do we really know who we are?

     They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminary did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".

"The greatest untapped reservoir of energy in the universe is the depths of our own souls. Though we live with self for a lifetime, we seem to know other persons better; at any rate, we judge them more than we do ourselves, and we analyze them better than ourselves."

---

February 25th Medjugorje Monthly Message

   Dear children! Also today I am with you in a special way contemplating and living the passion of Jesus in my heart. Little children, open your hearts and give me everything that is in them: joys, sorrows and each, even the smallest, pain, that I may offer them to Jesus; so that with His immeasurable love, He may burn and transform your sorrows into the joy of His resurrection. That is why, I now call you in a special way, little children, for your hearts to open to prayer, so that through prayer you may become friends of Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call.
For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE AND MORE

---

THE DAILY WORD

"Amen I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country."

Luke 4: 24

---

---

Click here to go to SECTION TWO or SECTION THREE or click here to return to the graphics front page of this issue.

---

---

March 8, 1999 volume 10, no. 46   DAILY CATHOLIC