Catechesis on Apostolicity

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[u]Catechesis on Apostolicity[/u]
by [i]Micah Murphy[/i]

The genealogy narratives in the Bible are not of particular interest to the modern reader. Focus is more often diverted to the stories, parables, and prophecies of Scripture, often overlooking the long lists of names, links in a chain connected by that familiar word "begat." Yet, these too tell a story. They draw the reader's attention back in time, generation upon generation, even to the founding of the world. Walking down this hall of family portraits in the Bible, one eventually comes to one which stands out among the rest: Jesus Christ. If he turns, he will find hanging on the opposite wall a whole scattered array of portraits, the inhabitants of which often look nothing like one another (save their long colored robes and miters). This wall begins with twelve and that number grows into hundreds and thousands of portraits. It's not often that they are biologically related, but they are always spiritually related. They are part of the spiritual family of Jesus Christ, His apostolic lineage, His faithful followers. These are those He has chosen to be the fathers of His line. As the Father begat Jesus, Jesus, in a deeply spiritual way, begat His own, and they their own, and the line continues until today. These are His faithful followers whom He chose. These are the Apostles and their apostolic successors, the bishops. The Church is apostolic because of them, because "she was and remains built on 'the foundation of the Apostles'," because "with the help of the Spirit dwelling in her, the Church keeps and hands on the teaching...she has heard from the apostles," and because "she continues to be taught, sanctified, and guided by the apostles until Christ's return, through their successors in pastoral office: the college of bishops, 'assisted by priests, in union with the successor of Peter, the Church's supreme pastor'."1

What began this apostolic lineage and what exactly does it mean? The linchpin of the the apostolic mission is what is called the "Great Commission" which appears in the Gospel of Matthew after the Resurrection of Christ and before His Ascension into heaven. As His last instruction to the Apostles, given the climax of the Gospels, between the Death of Christ and His Ascension it bears special weight because it takes place at the perfect time: Jesus is going to His Father, whose Ambassador He is, and He wishes to send out the Apostles to continue His work as ambassadors with Him. He wanted them to be His co-workers. To be an apostle is to be an ambassador, of Christ, sharing in and continuing His ministry as ambassador.2 The mission of the apostles is to carry on Christ's work.

The whole Church shares in this mission. "All members of the Church share in this mission, though in various ways," states the Catechism, calling the apostolic mark of the Church that mission which "aims 'to spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth.'"3 All the baptized are sent to do the work of the Christ the King.

Yet in spreading the Kingdom of Christ, there is a clear distinction between the members of the lay faithful and those serving in ordained ministry. St. Paul asked the questions, "but how are men to call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent?"4 In order to spread the Kingdom, there must be people who know the King, people He has chosen, people to whom He has given this special task.

Why? Why does Christ want to reveal Himself to man through other men? Why doesn't He just reveal Himself directly to each individual? The answer is simple: "Communion in the faith. The faith of the faithful is the faith of the Church, received from the apostles. Faith is a treasure of life which is enriched by being shared."5 The Scriptures point to truth in showing the community of the early Church: "they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."6 The early Church lived the faith in community, seeing how the faith tended toward peace among men. This is why Christ came not only to save individuals, but to save a Church, a whole "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people."7

This is why Christ ordained the apostles, inviting them to share in His mission in a special way, saying "as the Father has sent me, so I send you."8 Christ began this apostolic lineage of spiritual fathers which begins with His Father who sent Him and continues through Him to His apostles. Three years prior, Christ, fresh from prayer and fasting in the desert, walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee and invited to two brothers who were fishermen, Simon and Andrew, calling out to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."9 Finally, after three years of preparation, the Apostles were given their Great Commission: "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."10 These words contain the mission of Christ they must continue. The Apostles who were present with Christ those three years had been chosen and instructed to teach and make disciples, and given the authority of Christ Himself. Our Lord's instruction to them was to extend the Kingdom of God to every person, baptizing them and bringing them into communion with God.11 They were given this ministry in a very special way and what was the first thing they did? The Apostles, having returned to the Upper Room and having "devoted themselves to prayer," had Matthias and Barsabbas cast lots for the office of Judas, who had betrayed Jesus and killed himself.12 The Apostles realized that this office was an important thing. They knew that it was supposed to be filled and so they exercised their authority to ordain new bishops only just weeks after the death of Judas.

It is evident that they understood their place in the apostolic Church. They knew that they were the foundation upon which the Church was built. They appreciated the fact that they were "the witnesses chosen and sent on mission by Christ Himself."13 This role comes from Christ. He chose them. He told them to teach as He Himself taught. He gave them the authority to do so. "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives Him who sent me."14 The Church receives Christ by receiving the apostles and their successors, and by receiving the Son, the Church receives the Father. The apostles are the ambassadors of Christ and, in Christ, of the Father.

Yet they were only human. How could they be strong enough to maintain the faith of Christ? It is true that "as 'the Son can do nothing of His own accord,' but receives everything from the Father who sent Him, so those whom Jesus sends can do nothing apart from Him, from whom they received both the mandate for their mission and the power to carry it out."15 The apostles not only received their mission from Christ, but they also received the "power from on high."16 The apostles could not carry out this ministry without the help of God, but with His help, they were able to go about the Lord's mission.

It was very soon after Matthias was chosen, the number of Apostles again having reached its original twelve, that the Lord sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. On Pentecost, when all the Apostles were together, there came from heaven "a sound...like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."17 As Christ had promised them, here was "the Spirit of truth" who "will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears he will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you."18

This event requires some unpacking. First, not only did Christ tell them to go and preach the Gospel to all nations, but He sent the Holy Spirit to help them speak and they found themselves able to speak any language and made thousands of converts even on that first day.19 Additionally, the promise of the Holy Spirit from Christ points back to another truth of the faith: Christ was sent by the Father. Scripture attests to this fact many times, calling Him the "Son of God."20 Christ is "the image of the invisible God"21 sent to reveal the Father to man. Christ receives from all eternity that which the Father is and, in His role as Ambassador, hands on this revelation to the Apostles. By sending them the Holy Spirit, who also bears the divine nature of the Father and of the Son, He sends to the Apostles a guide who knows the Gospel message completely and who knows all that the Father and Son know, to remind them of the faith and to help them guard it and to proclaim the Kingdom of heaven, which "has come in the person of Christ and grows mysteriously in the hearts of those incorporated into Him."22 Indeed, the sheer number of converts on that first day shows the that the Holy Spirit was hard at work in His task of incorporating new members into Christ.

The Holy Spirit, because He is all truth, must assist in the authoritative roles of the apostles. Christ had promised authority, and it can certainly be said the the Holy Spirit was guiding the apostles in their bearing of authority over the Church. The Council of Jerusalem provides insight into the role of the apostles. A controversy between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians was beginning to wreak havoc. The dispute was over the consumption of the foods considered unclean to the Jews as well as over the Jewish practice of circumcision. Seeing the great danger this posed to the faith, the apostles gathered together to define what Christ had wished for the Church in regard to this matter and bound the faithful to their command, stating that it was not the intention of Christ to impose the Law of Moses on the Gentiles, yet proscribing certain disciplines in order to avoid scandal among the members of the Mystical Body of Christ.23 With this, the apostles aided the faithful in preserving the Church from scandal and division and laid a guideline for the sake of the holiness of the faithful.

Sure the Apostles exercised authority properly in their own time, but what happened when the apostles died? Most assuredly, the Church recognizes that the apostles were very special. They were "the chosen witnesses of the Lord's Resurrection and so the foundation stones of the Church," an "aspect that cannot be transmitted...but their office also has a permanent aspect."24 What is this permanent aspect? It is the authority which the apostles handed on before their deaths. Some time before St. Paul was martyred in Rome, he ordained St. Timothy a bishop, later instructing him to do likewise: "what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."25 In this verse, St. Paul lays the will of God for apostolic succession. St. Timothy was told to choose new bishops who will in turn choose new bishops, and this process finds its purpose in the central task of a bishop, which is to teach the faithful. "Bishops, with priests as co-workers, have as their first task 'to preach the Gospel of God to all men,' in keeping with the Lord's command...'they are authentic teachers' of the apostolic faith 'endowed with the authority of Christ.'"26

Because bishops share in the ambassadorship of Christ, they must not only represent Christ by means of His authority, but they must pass on His message, the message of the Gospel which He came to preach to all men. This is the fulfillment of the Great Commission quoted above. This is why St. Paul advises St. Timothy sternly, "guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us."27 St. Paul, along with the other apostles and the bishops they ordained, knew that the faith must be maintained in order to pass it along. They understood that "with the help of the Spirit dwelling in her, the Church keeps and hands on teaching, the 'good deposit,' the salutary words she has heard from the apostles."

The bishops ordained by the Apostles did indeed ordain new bishops. Those bishops ordained new bishops, who ordained new bishops, and so on. The bishops of today's world, likewise, are spiritual descendants of the Apostles. "The bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the apostles as pastors of the Church."28 They come from the Apostles and even today, they guide the Church, chosen and consecrated to preach the Gospel with authority and bring the faithful into communion with God. This was Christ's plan for the Church; it is divinely instituted. Desiring that His Church be guided by ambassadors, He has chosen them to teach with authority and to make new ambassadors, new bishops, so that the faith may be passed on within the Church for the building up of a true "communion of faith."

The most easily recognized line of Apostles is that of St. Peter and His successors as the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. The Church's apostolicity exists "in that she remains, through the successors of St. Peter and the other apostles, in communion of faith and life with her origin: and in that she is 'sent out' into the whole world."29 In this formula for apostolicity, the successors of St. Peter are given a special primacy. "The Lord made Simon alone, whom He named Peter, the 'rock' of His Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock."30 St. Peter was given a special role. Indeed, "the college or body of bishops has no authority unless united with the Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, as its head."31 This means that while the successors of the apostles bear the authority over the Church, they cannot use it except when it is in accord with the Pope's own authority.

This doctrine is not a human tradition. It comes from Christ Himself, who established St. Peter in this office, saying, "I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."32 Christ renamed Simon the Apostle "Peter" and declared him the rock upon which would be built the immortal Church. He gave St. Peter the authority over this Church and placed him specifically as the apostle with this very special gift and duty. Elsewhere, Jesus said to him, "I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren."33 The Papal Primacy will not fail, and it is the job of St. Peter and his successors the popes to strengthen their brother bishops in the faith. For this reason, the pope has the gift of infallibility. This gift is defined with regard to him: "the Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful--who confirms his brethren in the faith--he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to the faith or morals."34 This teaching is important because it is necessary to have an authority on earth. If the Church did not, then her members would be inclined to interpret the faith in any way they wished and to declare for themselves that anything they wanted to do was, in fact, perfectly morally sound.

This infallibility of the pope in matters of faith and morals is the crown of authority on the Church. It is in union with the pope, and only in union with him, that the bishops compose the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, her guiding body, the college of bishops. As concerns the doctrinal matters of the faith, those beliefs passed down through the Church, the whole college of bishops is the final authority.

The authority of the bishops is not limited to the raw doctrines of the faith. It is also by "the Magisterium of the Pastors of the Church in moral matters...from generation to generation...[that] the 'deposit' of Christian moral teaching has been handed on...alongside the Creed and the Our Father."35 The authority of the bishops lies not only in passing on the deposit of the creeds of the faith, but also the part of the deposit which is concerned with moral teaching and application. This is to assist the faithful, who must, as Christians, must "contribute to building up the Church by the constancy of their convictions and their moral lives."36 It is for the good of all that the bishops have moral authority, so that the communion of the Church may be upheld.

The bishop must also preside over this communion in the liturgy. "The whole liturgical life of the Church [which] revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments"37 consists of "liturgical services" which "are celebrations of the Church which is 'the sacrament of unity,' namely, the holy people united and organized under the authority of the bishops."38 It is in the liturgy that the Church worships God together as a communion through the sacraments. They do this with and under the bishops. It is not a contradiction to say that there is oneness in the communion as well as organization, which implies different functions for different members. Such differences do not stop them from being one, but instead allow them to act together as one and organized.

The mystery of faith in Christ, the deposit which is professed by the Church, celebrated in liturgical communion, and lived with its moral implications,39 is passed on through the apostles and their successors. Finally, it must be prayerful as well. The apostolic lineage must show the way to the life of prayer in the Church.

Because Jesus Christ "also learned to pray according to His human heart" and learned "the formulas of prayer from His mother...in the words and rhythms of His people,"40 prayer was a central part of His mission. As such, the apostles and their successors the bishops must also hand on this tradition. This is why, recognizing that they would be responsible for teaching others to pray, the apostles asked, "Lord, teach us to pray."41 It should be noted that it was when the apostles were gathered in prayer that the Holy Spirit came upon them: "the Spirit who teaches the Church and recalls for her everything that Jesus said was also to form her in the life of prayer."42 The Holy Spirit guides the prayer life of the Church through the apostles and their successors, the bishops. Always going about this task, the bishops give particular concern to a modern difficulty in prayer: those who try to "do" prayer themselves. "Those who seek God by prayer are quickly discouraged because they do not know that prayer comes also from the Holy Spirit and not from themselves."43 This teaching on prayer reflects what the bishops themselves know: that it is the power of God, not of themselves, which guides the faith.

With this prayer life of the Church added to the apostles' ministry, the apostolic succession can clearly be seen as preserving and passing on the faith. Thus, it is no surprise that just as the "believers 'devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and the prayers,'"44 so the Church today, inheriting the faith of Christ and the apostles through their successors the bishops, states that "all Christ's faithful are called to hand it (the treasure of the Gospel) on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer."45

The apostolicity of the faith means that the Church remains founded on the apostles, who hand on the teaching through the bishops by the aid of the Holy Spirit and are lead and strengthened by the successor of St. Peter in teaching, sanctifying, and guiding the Church "until Christ's return." Christ left a family for us, a royal lineage to guide us. That is why St. John included the apostles in the vision of the heavenly Jerusalem he recorded, "the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."46 Christ established His apostolic line on the twelve apostles and upon them, especially St. Peter the rock, He built His Church, which would not taste death. It is they who were sent into all the world. It is they who first preached the Gospel in the Name of Jesus Christ. It is they who spilled their blood for Jesus. In the heavenly kingdom they fought to defend, they most certainly join with their successors on earth, the bishops, in singing from the words from Scripture echoed in the Mass: "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"47

1 Catechism of the Catholic Church 857

2 CCC 858

3 CCC 863

4 Romans 10:14-15, Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition, cf. CCC 875

5 CCC 949

6 Acts 2:42, RSV-CE

7 1 Peter 2:9, RSV-CE

8 John 20:21-23, RSV-CE

9 Matthew 4:18-19, RSV-CE

10 Matthew 28:18-20, RSV-CE

11 cf. CCC 1213

12 Acts of the Apostles 1:12-26, RSV-CE

13 CCC 857

14 Matthew 10:40, RSV-CE

15 CCC 859

16 Luke 24:49, RSV-CE

17 Acts of the Apostles 2:1-4, RSV-CE

18 John 16:13-15, RSV-CE

19 cf. Acts of the Apostles 2:5-41, esp. 2:7-11; 2:41, RSV-CE

20 Luke 3:22, Matthew 16:16, 1 Cor 1:9, RSV-CE

21 Colossians 1:15, RSV-CE

22 CCC 865

23 Acts of the Apostles 15:1-21, RSV-CE

24 CCC 860

25 2 Timothy 2:2, RSV-CE

26 CCC 888

27 2 Timothy 1:14, RSV-CE

28 CCC 862

29 CCC 863

30 CCC 881

31 CCC 883

32 Matthew 16:18-19, RSV-CE

33 Luke 22:32, RSV-CE

34 CCC 891

35 CCC 2033

36 CCC 2045

37 CCC 1113

38 CCC 1140

39 CCC 2558

40 CCC 2599

41 Luke 11:1, RSV-CE, cf. CCC 2601

42 CCC 2623

43 CCC 2726

44 CCC 2624

45 CCC 3

46 Revelation 21:14, RSV-CE

47 Revelation 4:8, RSV-CE

[Brother Adam]

Where is the reference to Balthasar's Structure of the Church?

Kidding. Good job as always.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Mar 24 2006, 02:15 PM']Where is the reference to Balthasar's Structure of the Church?

Kidding. Good job as always.
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Prof. Bolster told us to use the Catechism and the Bible, but anything else sparingly, in our catechesis. :

This was actually my catechetics paper...I decided enough time had passed to make it public.

[Brother Adam]

hmm...I found out university policy is that teachers are actually suppose to hold all major assignments for one year from the due date.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Mar 24 2006, 03:58 PM']hmm...I found out university policy is that teachers are actually suppose to hold all major assignments for one year from the due date.
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Yes, but it's still my paper. As I understand it, I have the rights to publish, not the school.

I just waited because, at least in high school, the teachers would go online and look for forgery...if the professor saw the same paper typed up online, even if it had my name at the top, it would be kinda odd.