Transmitting the Divine Revelation

St Peter’s Preeminence TruthExplanation Christ established a Church. Christ intended to and did establish a Church: “On this rock I will build my Church.” Christ established a visible Church. Christ put a real person in charge of his Church so she and her hierarchy would be visible to all. Christ gave St. Peter authority over his Church. Christ gave St. Peter the “keys” of governance; the power to bind and loose denotes authority.

The Mission What mission did Christ entrust to the Apostles? ◦ Stated in  Matthew  John  Mark ◦ What is unique about each episode? ◦ Summary: Christ commissions & sends the Apostles to continue His ministry

The Mission Who endowed & empowered the Apostles to carry out this mission? On what day? ◦ Read Acts On Pentecost Day, the Holy Spirit transforms the Apostles to be bold witnesses and self-sacrificing martyrs of the Faith

The Mission The Apostles go out into all the world to proclaim the Gospel All 12 have territories ◦ Peter to Antioch and then Rome ◦ Thomas to India ◦ Bartholomew to Armenia ◦ Simon & Jude to Egypt and Persia (Iran) Paul goes to the entire Roman empire

The Mission IMPORTANT: Christ entrusted to his Apostles the administration of the Sacraments and the spreading of Christian doctrine to every corner of the world. ◦ This commission does not have a time limit  Until the “close of the age” ◦ Therefore, it implies the need to appoint successors who would have the same power and authority as the Apostles

Apostolic Succession What is Apostolic Succession? ◦ Begins with the election of St Matthias ◦ The Apostles were the first bishops ◦ As they go out, the Apostles ordain successors ◦ These successors pledge to  Teach the Faith without change  Ordain worthy successors

Apostolic Succession Continuity and Faithfulness are the chief characteristics ◦ Continuity requires faithfulness to the teaching ◦ Faithfulness includes not simply saying the right things but also transformed behavior (self- sacrifice by holy living)  Many of the early bishops were martyrs The transformation of these ordinary men into bold evangelists is extraordinary (unexplainable ?)in human terms.

Apostolic Succession IMPORTANT: Apostolic Succession is the handing on of authority from the Apostles to their successors, the bishops.

Assignment Read silently “Sts. Peter and Paul” (pp. 62– 63) With a partner write and answer three Focus Questions that touch on the relationship between Sts. Peter and Paul.

Test Wednesday Review on Tuesday Vocabulary review (5 sheets on my website) due on Tuesday ◦ Will be posted on my website tonight Essay Questions for the test will be sent to you via ◦ Will be sent on Friday (tomorrow)

Tradition The word “tradition” means different things  the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way  members of different castes have by tradition been associated with specific occupations  a long-established custom or belief that has been passed on from one generation to another: Japan’s unique cultural traditions  an artistic or literary method or style established by an artist, writer, or movement, and subsequently followed by others: visionary works in the tradition of William Blake

Tradition The theological definition of “tradition” is a little different Read aloud the following statements by St. Paul to see what he means by “Tradition”: ◦ 2 Tm 2:1– 2 ◦ 1 Cor 11:2 ◦ 2 Thes 3:6 ◦ 2 Tm 2:2

Tradition What do all of these statements have in common? ◦ These statements refer to tradition, that is, the oral preaching of the Apostles ◦ Christ taught orally—and so did the Apostles—long before anything was written

Tradition What Christ and the Apostles taught is the Word of God ◦ Written: Scriptures ◦ Spoken: Sacred Tradition  Examples of Sacred Tradition

Scriptures Author St. PaulThirteen EpistlesSt. Paul is the most prolific author of the New Testament, writing from the late 40s to mid-60s St. JohnA Gospel, three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation St. John was “the disciple Jesus loved.” St. LukeA Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles St. Luke, a physician and a disciple of St. Paul, wrote this two-volume work St. MatthewA GospelSt. Matthew wrote for Jewish converts to Christianity The Holy Spirit All the books of the Bible In antiquity the Holy Spirit guided the human writers to put down what he wanted written, but it is still relevant to us today

Deposit of Faith The written and spoken Word of God (Scriptures and Sacred Tradition) is called “the Deposit of Faith” The Deposit of Faith — all that God has revealed either through speech or in writing — is preserved and safeguarded in the Church

Deposit of Faith How do we know that what the Catholic Church teaches today is what Christ and the Apostles taught two millennia ago? ◦ Christ promised to be with his disciples until the end of time

Deposit of Faith How does St. Peter’s status as the “rock” indicate a guarantee that the Church will teach the truth always? ◦ Christ stated, “The powers of death shall not prevail” against the Church, which indicates that he gave his Church the grace to teach correctly what he had revealed.

Deposit of Faith What power enables the Church to always teach the truth? ◦ The “Spirit of Truth,” or the Holy Spirit, enables her.

Magisterium The Magisterium is the servant of the Word of God, teaching only what has been handed on from the Apostles. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the Magisterium guards the Deposit of Faith devotedly and expounds it faithfully.

Magisterium What should be the Catholic faithful’s attitude toward the decisions of the Magisterium? ◦ They should listen to the Magisterium with the docility (humble obedience) they would show to the Apostles or Christ himself.

Magisterium What does the Magisterium interpret? ◦ It interprets the Word of God authentically, both in written form and in the form of tradition.

Magisterium How did the early Church resolve the dispute about to what extent the first Christians had to follow the rites and prescriptions of the Old Law? ◦ The Apostles gathered in council with St. Peter and made a decision that was binding on the whole Church. ◦ Councils continued on until today  The first seven are the most important  The latest council was Vatican II

Test Wednesday Review on Tuesday Vocabulary review (5 sheets on my website) due on Tuesday ◦ Will be posted on my website tonight Essay Questions for the test will be sent to you via ◦ Will be sent on Friday (tomorrow)