8th Question: Authority and Participation

 It seems to me that as I write this blog, having consulted the Bible, the Early Fathers, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, I am participating in the Authority of the Church, in so far as what I write is sound doctrine.    It is not my views I write, for if I dared to do so, in my pride I would probably mislead people into error.  I would be a false prophet.   In my last blog I quoted Matthew 28, that Christ would be with his Church always, and that His Church would speak with His authority.   Jesus also said "He that hears you, hears me, and he that despises you despises me"    So always, always, always, I bow to the Authority of the Church of Jesus Christ.   It is sad that those who contradict Jesus always say that they have the guidance of the Holy Spirit in doing so.   May I point out that I am not condemning Protestants here, I am specifically talking about Catholics, who bowing to the pressures of our Society have found the Cross of Jesus too heavy, and have tried to build some kind of Church which is not demanding, and they can show the world that they are 'mature adults', unfortunately rather than leave the Church they have remained with false teachers to guide them, and despised those who would not follow their lead.

"The Supremacy of the Pope lies in Love and not Authority", so said a false teacher sent to Basingstoke by the last bishop.   It was just a play on words, and meant nothing whatsoever.  Nevertheless everyone nodded their head and made sense of it,  just because it was attacking the authority of the Pope.   How sad!

Having read Matthew 28, how did the Early Church use its authority?    As the number of Christian Churches grew, disputes arose.   But because it had been the Church of Peter, Cephas, disputes in the Early Church were sent to Rome, who approved or disapproved.   An example was the Letter of Clement the third Pope after Peter in 96 AD.   The Church at Corinth had decided to be rid of their leaders. Pope Clement rebuked them for the people they were dismissing had been 'appointed by the Apostles and other eminent men'    He also wrote that it would be a grave wrong to replace 'those who offered the sacrifices'.    At his rebuke the Corinthians decided to accept Rome's guidance.  The first example of Papal Authority.   But note also the reference to sacrifices.  And we can turn to St Ignatius of Antioch who condemned a group of people called Docetists for their refusal to believe that the Consecrated Bread was the 'Flesh of Jesus'.   There was never any council or meeting that declared the doctrine of the Real Presence, the Apostles had worked it out from the very beginning.   Little wonder then that the enemy within was at pains to stop the words "from the rising of the sun until its setting".  That came from Malachi 1:10.   "From the rising of the sun until it setting my name is great among the nations and everywhere there is offered sacrifice, a spotless victim".

Soon after Mary's death she was acclaimed as the 'New Eve'.    The early church recognise she was conceived 'full of grace'.   She was the New Eve conceived without sin like the Old Eve but unlike the Old Eve who brought sin into the world, she remained faithful to God.  As we say today she is the 'Immaculate Conception'

In the Early Church there were many writings but their authenticity was questioned.   Was a letter signed James really the Apostle James?   All sorts of questions were being asked.   Should the letter of contemporaries of the Apostles like Clement and  Ignatius of Antioch be put into scriptures to be read in Churches.    There were discussions at Rome, then Hippo, then Carthage, and finally in 419 the Bible or trusted writings were produced.   So it was the Catholic Church that gave authority to the Bible ,it was not anything in the Bible that necessarily gave authority to the Church.

I have written for years now as the only way I could speak the truth.    So I have participated in the Truth.    But whether you are a catechist, or sharing the faith with others, or conducting a Catholic meeting you have a responsibility to speak only the truth.   This truth is found in the Catholic Church. 

Why not on the search engine on your computer put in Letter Clement to Corinthians, or the letters of St Ignatius of Antioch.    It is all there.

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