The Question of the Papacy

This is Pope Benedict XVI. He is the leader of the Catholic Church. He is infallible on faith and morals. Now that statement is a little too much for many Christians.How can a man be infallible? The answer is, of course, that he cannot. The infallibility goes with the office rather than the man. There is a guarantee from Jesus that when the Pope acts as teacher for the Universal Church his teachings will be free from error. This does not mean that he can wake up tomorrow and think of some new teaching and declare it infallible. He has restrictions which keep the office within the bounds of reason. He can only teach the deposit of faith handed down from the Apostles. He may show deeper insight into a doctrine as say declaring the connection between Mary being the Mother of God and the Immaculate Conception but that she was free from sin is implicit in her Motherhood of God made Man. But Popes have seldom acted alone, although they have every right to do so. During the Arian heresy for example the Pope had to stand up against the Bishops of the time and the people stood with him.. They have their bishops to consult. But we know that when the Pope speaks Urbi et Orbe (To the City and the World) to define something as a Dogma then this comes from Heaven. Now where do I get that from? You will find it in Matthew 16. Remember `Thou art Peter..... There is an awful lot of disagreement over the Rock idea. Theologians will disagree using words like Petros, Petra, and Petrus. But Simon`s name was changed to Peter so it was personal. "And I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom of heaven.... Yes this appears, it is objected, only in Matthew whose Gospel was addressing the Jews. True, but only Jews would have understood the significance of the Keys of the Kingdom. Whenever a King went off to war and it could be for months someone is left back home to run the Kingdom in his absence. In Jewish history the Keys of the Royal Household would be given to someone who would exercise the authority of the King. He was in charge in the King`s absence. It is quite simple really. Then Jesus guided Peter in the way he would be in charge. "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound also in heaven" Remember Jesus was talking specifically to Peter not the other Apostles. So whatever Peter said about the Gospel would be said in Heaven, he would have the guidance of Heaven. Infallibility was certainly needed in the early Church when many questions about the nature and person of Christ were discussed and different conslusions drawn. That is quite simple too. It was while listening to a Catholic choir sing `TU ES PETRUS` (Thou are Peter)that Cardinal Newman went over the text in his head and realised that only the Catholic explanation fitted. He was then drawn into the Catholic Church. Peter`s successors were soon exercising authority. In 96 AD the Corinthians were reprimanded by Clement of Rome for trying to appoint their own elders. The Pope ruled that they could not change people appointed by the Apostles and Eminent Men. On his words the situatron was settled. When at the great Councils of Carthage and Hippos the Bishops decided what documents written we could trust The decision that these writings were truly "The Word of God" was sent to the Pope to be ratified. So when you say the Bible is the Word of God then thank the Catholic Church. In a blog I cannot go through all of the points but let us thnk a little more of the Christian situation. What has happened through the years is that men appointed themselves to be Popes. What they thought became important and not authority. To justify this they would also claim with no proof that they were guided by the Holy Spirit. Let us be honest. Without an authroitative figure round which the Church was built on the truth that Christ came to proclaim would have disapperared a long time ago. When the Protestant Reformation started the Reformers claimed to have the Truth from their reading of Scripture. Yet they could not agree on what this truth was. Then disagreements began until there are now over 26,000 sects. But common sense set in and they knew that none of them could claim the truth so they came to the conclusion that nobody had the truth, well not the whole truth. What they find offensive today is that the Universal Catholic Church has remained unmoved by this and still professes to have the whole truth handed down from the Apostles. But why should the Catholic Church change to suit the Protestant opinion.   And Catholics who apologise are turning away from the Truth that Christ came to give witness to by his life and death.

Mary, My Mother and Your Mother

The Catholic Church honours Mary because as the great Council of Ephesus said "She is the Mother of God". In the early Church there was much debate about the nature of Jesus and the role of Mary. Many said it was impossible to say that a human born in time could possibly be the Mother of God. She could only be the mother of his human nature not is Divine. This great Council said no to this. Christ was one person the God-Man and these natures could not be seperated in the one Person of Christ. Jesus was one being, God and Man and Mary was the mother of God and Man. Mother of the whole person. The video says much about the theology of Mary and I will leave you to play it. But believe me knowing Mary and loving Mary is a most wonderful experience. Sometimes the guilt of sin can somehow erect a self-imposed barrier between us and Jesus and it is at these times we turn to Mary. She takes our hand and leads us to her Jesus and as any good mother she speaks up for us. In most familes children realise that Mum is the softy and if we want something from Dad then she is the solution. That is how catholics view Mary. Of course, she has those off puting titles to many, the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, and catholics will see her as the Queen of Heaven. Now what does that mean? If we go back to the Old Testament we find that David put his mother Bathsheba on a throne beside Him. She was to dispense justice among the people. That is the same honour Jesus has given his mother Mary. She looks on her children and pleads for them to the King. Again Jesus knew that we all need a woman`s touch. We need a kind unjudging spiritual mother. So he gave us Mary. If you have never asked her for anything why not try to do so now.

But what is the `Real` Presence?

In the 8th century a monk from the order of St Basil was celebrating Mass in the Church of St Longinus in what is now Lanciano, Italy. He was plagued with doubts about what was the Real Presence since then as now this doctrine was being denied so there is nothing different happening today. He consecrated the Bread and the Wine then looked in amazement at what he saw. The host had been changed into a circle of flesh and the wine into visible blood. Nearly 1200 years later, in 1970 scientific evidence was produced by a Professor Linoli that what he had examine was a human heart still preserved in some miraculous way after hundreds of years. The wine was human blood, type AB. It is interesting that the blood on the Turin Shroud is also type AB. Many Eucharistic miracles have happened and I refer my readers to the wonderful book Eucharistic Miracles by Joan Carroll Cruz This human heart and human blood can still be witnessed at Lanciano. At Orsino-Orvieto 1263 another priest with doubts had just said the words of consecration when blood poured from the host onto his hands and onto the corporal, a linen cloth, on the altar. He immediately got in touch with Pope Urban IV who was nearby. A year later Urban introduced the feast of Corpus Christi, that day when we celebrate in the Catholic Church the belief that the host is indeed changed into the substantial Body of Christ. Joan lists 33 miracles many from the past but some more recent and their evidence is there today to challenge science. But are we to be surprised at this lack of faith! Take the long discourse Jesus had with the Jews in John 6. He had just worked the miracle of the loaves and fishes but He told the crowd that this was food for the body but He wanted to give them food for their souls and He was that food. Despite the miracle of the loaves the Jews wanted a sign from Jesus that He was from God. In the desert God gave their fathers Manna from heaven. What sign would He give. "I am the Bread of Life" he said. The Jews muttered that this was nonsense. "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood you cannot have life in you" He told them. This bread was not like the Manna in the desert which kept the body alive but was food for the soul. It is important to read this whole dialogue rather than pick and choose. We are told that from then on many followed him no more. He had not given a sign but talked nonsense. Were they really stupid. Surely he was talking figuratively?. They were most certainly not and Jesus went out of hnis way to impress them that this was not figurative language. He was talking about flesh and blood - physical things. He was talking about His flesh and blood being given to them to feed their souls. Many walked away disgusted. When he turned to his disciples "Will you also go?" they did not say "Well Jesus we are not like them, we understand every word", they did not understand either but "To whom Lord shall we turn for you have the words of eternal life" In other words "We do not understand but if this is the sign you will give, we know it will happen" They could not connect physical flesh and blood with the good of the soul but they accepted the words of Jesus that he was spaking of spiritual matters. Is it not amazing that hundreds of years later proud men who were not there in the day of Jeus, suddenly understand he was talking figuratively. But the Real Presence, Body Blood Soul and Divinity is the great sign of the Presence of Christ in our Church today. Jesus turns bread into His Body and wine into his Blood and feeds us. What a wonderful gift this is. And this gift is part of our Catholic Church. Come let us Adore Him. Pray that you will believe in this gift.

The Gift of the Mass

One of the most appalling things I have ever heard Catholics Saying is "The Mass is Boring!" Boring! The re-enactment of Calvary. Christ offering Himself for our Sins. I guess they have just had pretty poor catechesis. The Mass is the Sacrifice of Jesus. In the old testament the Jews offered sacrifices of bullocks, lambs, and pigeons to God for the forgiveness of their sins. But these sacrifices were not pleasing to God. "To what purpose do you offer me the multitude of your victims? .... I desire not holocausts of lambs......and blood of calves and lambs and buck-goats....Offer sacrifice no more in vain" Isaiah 1.11-13. But what did got want from his people as reparation from their sins. We turn to the prophet Malachi "I have not pleasure in you, saith the Lord of Hosts and I will not receive a gift of your hand. For, from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, "My Name is great among the Gentiles and in every nation there is sacrifice, and there is offered in my name a clean oblation" Malachi 1, 10-11. Was this oblation Jesus? "Behold the Lamb of God" cried John the Baptist on seeing Jesus. And on the evening of the great sacrifice of the Passover Jesus said, "This is my Body offered for you", "This is my Blood shed for you". He was the new clean oblation, the only True Sacrifice that could be pleasing to God for the remission of our sins. A priest is one who offers sacrifice and from the early Church until today our Catholic priests offer this clean oblation. St Paul in his letter to the Hebrews frequently mentions the Mass. "We have an altar whereof they cannot eat who serve the Tabernacle" Hebrews 8.10. Yes, an altar! Already the christians were building altar of sacrifice and her priests were celebrating the Mass as the Church has done for two thousand years. So when you go to the Catholic Mass and the priest raises the bread and says "This is my Body" be assured that at that moment bread no longer is bread but the living substantial Body of Christ offering Himself for the sins of the world and fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi that we the Gentiles would be offering sacrifice - a clean oblation. This is what the Catholic Church teaches, this is what I believe. Pray to Jesus and Mary that one day you also might believe it.

I Love this Church.

I love this Church that gave me life And all my hunger fed, I love this Church where Jesus Christ Still gives Himself in bread O grant me Lord this one desire That I so worthy be That were I tested by the fire Then I would die for Thee. This is the verse of a poem I wrote so many years ago that this is the only verse I remember. Perhaps like Peter if the test really came I would run away but I pray that like him I would weep and repent. As his disciples we often want to keep out of `harms way`. There are a thousand reasons we should not go about talking about our Catholic Faith. Yet none of these are as good as the reason why we should. If the people next door do not know you are catholic and you have lived there for many years then something surely is wrong. Do you just say "Hello" or "Goodbye" do you not give them the prayer as you leave "God bless you" There are so many things that are so beautiful and attractive in our Church yet we are afraid of criticism so we do not mention them. Why not let your neighbour know there is Adoration on in your Church when you pass them. You know what you say to yourslef "It is none of their business" But it is. What an opportunity to tell them about the great gift of the Blessed Sacrament. When people come in to your house do they see any Holy Pictures or Crucifixes. Well maybe you do not want them to know you are Religious `nuts`. Catholics are well accomplished in hiding their faith. But why? It is a joy. We have Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we have our Mother Mary, we have the Saints, we have the angels. Heaven is almost there for us to touch. And to help us love Jesus even more we have the Rosary. Before we started the Rosary in Church after morning Mass my wife and I would walk along the street saying it in a quiet voice, our Roeary beads in our pockets. I decided no, I would be more confortable holding my Rosary in my hands. One day a man shouted from his door "Say one for me" We smiled back at him and did. But let me not pretend we have no problems in our lives. That we sail through life in a cloud of happiness. No there are the times of sadness and the times we are tested. But always, we pray, we trust and we do not worry. In this blog I want to introuduce you to this Church I claim I would die for.