Christ had us in mind the moment his Church began

Article 145 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series

Paragraphs 2030-2046

When thinking about “the Church,” how often do we consider the fact that Jesus had us in mind some 2,000 years ago when, at Caesarea Philippi, he told Saint Peter, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church…And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 16:18-19)? Do we appreciate that Jesus was actually thinking about us when he stood, in his glorified risen body, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and drew from that same man, Saint Peter, the three-fold repeated profession of love: “Lord, you know that I love you” (Jn 21:15-17)? He then gave Peter supreme authority over his Church (Jn 21:15-17).

Christ had us in mind at that moment when his Church began. This fact should keep us from looking upon the Church as an outmoded, medieval institution. Rather, as the Catechism states, “the Church, the ‘pillar and bulwark of the truth,’ has received this solemn command of Christ from the apostles to announce the saving truth” (ccc 2032). In fact, for 2,000 years, under the protection and vigilance of numerous pastors, “the ‘deposit’ of Christian moral teaching has been handed on, a deposit composed of a characteristic body of rules, commandments, and virtues proceeding from faith in Christ and animated by charity” (ccc 2033).

The next paragraph, partially taken from the Second Vatican Council, states that the pope and the bishops are “teachers endowed with the authority of Christ, who preach the faith to the people entrusted to them, the faith to be believed and put into practice” (ccc 2034). The pope and the bishops, are to “teach the faithful the truth to believe, the charity to practice, [and] the beatitude to hope for” (ccc 2034).

“Infallibility” is also mentioned here and is described as a “charism” given by Christ to the whole Church, whereby the pope, as “head of the college of bishops,” enjoys papal infallibility (ccc 2035). This charism is “the supreme degree of participation in the authority of Christ” (ccc 2034). It includes Extraordinary Magisterium statements, which would be ex cathedra (statements made from the chair of St. Peter). This solemn declaration of papal infallibility did not occur until the First Vatican Council on July 18, 1870. The only example of an ex cathedra decree (an Extraordinary Magisterium statement) following this 1870 declaration was on Nov. 1, 1950, when Pope Pius XII defined the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven as an article of faith that all Catholics must believe. Prior to this, the only infallible (Extraordinary Magisterium statement) of a pope was that of the Immaculate Conception of Mary by Pope Pius IX in his Dec. 8, 1854 apostolic constitution, “Ineffabilis Deus (For God).” There are also Ordinary Magisterium statements, which the Pope teaches on matters of faith and morals. An example of this would be then-Pope, now St. John Paul II’s 1995 Encyclical “The Gospel of Life,” in which he declares that abortion is evil. Another example is St. John Paul’s 1994 Apostolic Letter, which states: “The Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women.”

The supreme degree of participation in the authority of Christ is ensured by the charism of infallibility. This infallibility extends as far as does the deposit of divine Revelation; it also extends to all aspects of faith and morals, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained, or observed. “The law of God entrusted to the Church is taught to the faithful as the way of life and truth. The faithful therefore have the right to be instructed in the divine saving precepts that purify judgment and, with grace, heal wounded human reason” (ccc 2037).

On the topic of conscience, an informed conscience is always required so that “personal conscience and reason [is not] set in opposition to the moral law or the Magisterium of the Church” (ccc 2039).

The next topic in this section covers the five “precepts of the Church,” which are considered laws binding on the faithful. These Catholic precepts flow out of the Ten Commandments and lead us to the Commandments. The shorter list in the Catechism includes:

1. “You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation” (ccc 2042).

2. “You shall confess your sins at least once a year" (ccc 2042).

3. “You shall humbly receive your Creator in Holy Communion at least during the Easter season” (ccc 2042).

4. “You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church” (ccc 2043).

5. “You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church” (ccc 2043).

The final few paragraphs speak about “the fidelity of the baptized…[as] a primordial condition for the proclamation of the Gospel and for the Church’s mission in the world” (ccc 2044). Quoting from the Second Vatican Council's Nov. 18, 1965 “Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity,” the Catechism states: “The witness of a Christian life and good works done in a supernatural spirit have great power to draw people to the faith and to God” (Apostolicam Actuositatem, 6 § 2). As such, the Catechism continues, “the Church increases, grows, and develops through the holiness of her faithful, until ‘we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…’” (ccc 2045). Therefore, “by living with the mind of Christ, Christians hasten the coming of the Reign of God” (ccc 2046), which is liturgically celebrated as “a kingdom of justice, love, and peace” (Preface of Christ the King).

Christ’s proclamation of God’s Kingdom never ceases. He offers his love to us through his Mystical Body, the Church where we are strengthened (by God’s Word, by the sacraments and through the intercession of Mary and the saints) to help extend that Kingdom as well.

Father Hillier is director, diocesan Office of the Pontifical Missions, the Office for Persons with Disabilities, and Censor Luborum