1. The Lived Mission of the Church
Section 4:
The Lived Mission of the Church

2. The Magisterium: The Teaching office of the Church
Section 4, Part 3:
The Magisterium: The Teaching office of the Church

3. Introduction
Already looked at the bishops duty of sanctifying & governing as priests & kings
Now look at their duty to teach authentically & authoritatively as prophets
Right & duty to interpret the Word of God as both Scripture & Tradition
Ensure that the Church remains faithful to Christ through the apostles
Helps members to grow in understanding of the faith & confidence in that faith
CCC is a tremendous resource for faith development
Church also has the gifts of indefectibility & infallibility (under certain circumstances)
Truths are ordered in an hierarchical fashion—centrality
Challenge to modern culture—especially relativism
3 Articles
(A. 49) -- The Magisterium
(A. 50) -- Indefectibility & Infallibility
(A. 51) -- The Magisterium & Truth

4. Article 49: The Magisterium
What is the Magisterium?
Bishops in communion with the Pope responsible for
handing on the faith from the Apostles
The official teaching authority of the Church
Whose task is to preserve the truths of faith
Preserved through Sacred Scripture & Sacred Tradition
Catholics have the obligation to embrace & assent to the truth
The Church transmits to all generations all that she is & believes
through her doctrine, life & worship
Doctrine vs. Dogma

5. Article 49: The Magisterium cont.
The truth is contained in Sacred Scripture & Sacred Tradition;
this understanding grows through:
Theological inquiry
Pursues the profound understanding of revealed truths through time
Contemplation & study
Understanding of spiritual realities grows with contemplation & study
Teaching of bishops (Extraordinary Magisterium)
When all bishops in union with the Pope speak on matters of faith & morals it is without errors (infallibility)
When the pope speaks alone under four criteria, he speak infallibly
Faith & morals, to entire church, ex cathedra, intending to speak infallibly
vs. Ordinary Magisterium

6. Article 49: The Magisterium cont.
What does the Magisterium Teach?
Catechism of the Catholic Church – a tool the Magisterium uses
Four Pillars of Catechism
Pillar I: The Profession of Faith (concepts of the Creed)
Pillar II: The Sacraments of Faith (salvation liturgically made present through sacraments)
Pillar III: The Life of Faith (Lived goodness through moral choices; the ten Commandments)
Pillar IV: The Prayer of the Believer (meaning & significance of prayer, especially the Lord’s Prayer)

7. Article 49: The Magisterium cont.
Changing Guidelines for Changing Circumstances
Truth does not change
Disciplines, Liturgy & Devotional Traditions can change
Example: changed guidelines on fasting & abstinence
Reflection on the 1966 Apostolic Constitution on Penance of Paul VI
Fasting prior to receiving the Eucharist (midnight, 3 hours, 1 hour)
Catholic Wisdom
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes)
Humans experience of joys, hopes, griefs & anxieties are universal
Shadow boxes pp. 188 & 189

8. You Tube Videos: Magisterium
The Word Exposed: The Magisterium
Bp. Barron: Development of Doctrine

9. Homework Read AA. 50-51 in the e-Book for discussion tomorrow
Section 4, Part 3 review questions #’s 1-2 for Monday
Looking Ahead:
Section 4, Part 3 review questions #’s 1-6 due Monday
Section 4, Part 3 Quiz Monday (AA )

10. Article 50: Indefectibility & Infallibility
The Church will remain uncorrupted & faithful to Christ’s teaching until the end of time
Jesus made this promise to Peter & the Church (Vatican I & II)
Indefectibility belongs to the Church, not any individual
Spiritual & temporal realms
A Church of Saints & Sinners (Shadow box)
All men sin, even the Pope
The early desert monks realized their sins, but trusted God’s grace to rise again

11. Article 50: Indefectibility & Infallibility cont.
The Church is without defect (relationship), therefore it is without mistake regarding her teachings
Infallibility is a gift of the Holy Spirit
Two Types of Infallibility:
Extraordinary
Pope alone
4 criteria (pope; ex cathedra; intend; universal)
Pope in union with bishops at an ecumenical council
Ordinary (but still important)

12. You Tube Videos: Indefectibility & Infallibility
Bp. Barron: Papal Infallibility
Scott Hahn: Papal Infallibility

13. Article 51: The Magisterium & Truth
Hierarchy of Truths
Some truths are more fundamental & illuminating;
all are interconnected
E.g. the Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith & connected to the Incarnation…
Dogma are teachings that are recognized as central
Dogmas clarifies what is doctrine (truths of salvation)
Dogmas & doctrine do not involve intellect alone, but also morality/human action
Assumption 1950 a.d. & Chalcedon 451 a.d.

14. Article 51: The Magisterium & Truth cont.
Truth & Relativism
Truth is absolute or relative
Relativism is when truth is seen as a perspective or subjective—truth is subjective but not relative
Relativism denies absolute truth
Relativism inherently contradicts itself
To deny absolute truth makes all good & all evil subjective
Truth & tolerance: relativism = false tolerance; personalism = true tolerance
Origin in Original Sin
God is truth itself
How can we live this truth?
Example of Friday abstinence & Paul VI

15. Article 51: The Magisterium & Truth cont.
The Galileo Controversy
1633 – The Roman Curia condemned Galileo for teaching as
truth a heliocentric universe (vs. telocentric)
This appeared to contradict the scriptures
The Pope Urban VIII requested he state the
teaching as a hypothesis; would not
Nicolaus Copernicus dedicated On the Revolution of the Celestial Orbs, (in which he gave an excellent account of heliocentricity),
to Pope Paul III (Martin Luther condemned this theory)
The Pope never issued an infallible statement about the teaching
Confusion of revealed & scientific truth--JPII

16. You Tube Videos: Magisterium & Truth
Moral Relativism
Fr. Barron: Modernity and Morality

17. Homework Section 4, Part 3 review questions #’s 3-6 for Monday
Section 4, Part 3 review questions #’s 1-6 due Monday
Section 4, Part 3 Quiz Monday (AA )