Another Essay I Wrote

[Fiat_Voluntas_Tua]

A Full Meal in the Magisterium

“But the task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ.” (DV 10) This statement claims that only the Catholic Church has authority to interpret God’s Word, and it does. The Magisterium is the only office that can authentically claim to have the right and ability to interpret God’s Word. There are two main reasons why we know this, Apostolic Succession and the Holy Spirit working through our Bishops.
We can trace back the lineage of Pope’s from John Paul the II all the way back to St. Peter himself. St. Peter got the authority to interpret God’s Word from The Word Himself. It is no mystery that the Catholic Church has been teaching non-contradictory Truth for almost 2000 years. With this assurance of Truth within the Church we, as Catholics in full communion with the Holy See, must then believe everything the Magisterium teaches. “When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine for belief as being divinely revealed, and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions must be adhered to with the obedience of faith.” (CCC 891) This comes into some controversy with some Catholics today.
There are many Catholics who accept certain teachings of the Living Magisterium as truth, and other’s as fallacy; this is not only contradicting the Faith but also contradicting oneself. If one only choose to believe certain teachings about faith and moral’s which he/she sees as reasonable or logical, but ignores other teachings that may be more mysterious (Real Presence in the Eucharist) than that person is not being obedient to the Faith. One cannot simply claim the Church is right in some instances but wrong in others, for the Holy Spirit is working through the Magisterium to produce authentic interpretation of Divine Revelation. The Holy Spirit would not work through the Magisterium only some times. The Holy Spirit is constantly working through the Magisterium to constantly produce authentic interpretation. This is way the Magisterium claim’s it is always infallible.
If the Church claims infallibility on its interpretation of The Word, it is either all right or all wrong, there is no choosing. The Church is not like a cafeteria where one gets to choose what he wants to eat; instead, the Church is more like home style cooking where the faithful eat everything the Magisterium puts on his plate. One simple cannot pick out the green beans (Real Presence), the raisin’s (Marian dogma), broccoli (Communion of Saints), or the nuts (Confession). If someone does pick these out he will not get a full meal, and starve.

Ave Maria,

Andy

[phatcatholic]

wtg