Brenda
wrote:
|
Hi, guys —
- Is it official Church Teaching that all requests
to Jesus must first pass through Mary?
I can understand asking her to pray for something
specific, but all our prayer requests!!
- Is
she always the quickest path to Jesus?
I know she is a great intercessor, but, perhaps,
our prayers don't often merit a quick response.
- Does imitation of Mary equal devotion to her?
- How does she guide the Church besides through
her intercession on our behalf?
Finally, in Redemptoris Mater, Pope John Paul II suggests that
we meet Mary in her shrines.
Though I may have
accidentally misquoted this, a little more
explanation would be helpful.
Also, he states
that one should incorporate Mary into all
aspects of life.
I read the whole document and found the Late Pope's words easy to understand. It actually cleared up some misconceptions
one may have regarding Catholic doctrine and teaching on Mary.
I would suggest to any other Protestants or
others, who like me, want to know more
about Mary
to read this document.
Brenda
|
{
Is
it official Church teaching that all requests
to Jesus must first pass through Mary? }
|
and in a similar question:
|
Brenda wrote:
|
Hi, guys —
I understand the Catholic Church's definition
of Mary as Co-Redemptrix. If I'm correct,
all it means is that Mary participated in
the life of Jesus, including His Death on
the Cross. This participation, she undertook
willingly.
I have no problem understanding
that dogma but, I really don't get the title of Mediatrix
of All Graces.
- Is this just a fancy-schmancy
way of saying that she is an intercessor for
us?
- How does she "dispense" grace?
One of the popes (I believe is was the last Leo),
stated that since we can go to Jesus through
Mary, all grace from God comes to us from
Mary.
So, does this mean:
A. that Since Mary gave birth to Jesus,
she is the Mother of Grace,
B. that her intercessory prayer to God
leads to His giving us His grace, and
C. that we receive the grace, favors, and gifts of
God through Mary.
This last point is particularly troubling.
I understand Mary is subordinate to Christ, but, this last point seems to relegate her
to a sort of "treasurer", who delivers
God's grace to everyone.
- Has this last point
been formally defined by the Church?
Perhaps
I'm missing something here. Lastly, what do any apologists on the AskACatholic team, think
of the titles of Co-Redemptrix or Mediatrix
of All Graces. Quite honestly, they are confusing
to Catholics and Protestants alike.
A better explanation of the latter would be
most helpful.
Thanks,
Brenda
|
{
Can
you explain Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces
and Co-Redemptrix? }
|
John
replied:
Hi, Brenda —
The titles imply a function, i.e.,
co-redemption or mediation of all
graces. Mary served and continues
to serve these functions. That said,
we have no dogmatic definition as
to how Mary is the Mediatrix of All
Graces. Hence, we can have varying
theories as to how, and to what extent,
these functions work.
For example, it is perfectly acceptable
to say: Since Christ, in the Incarnation,
personifies all grace, Mary mediated
between Heaven and Earth by bringing
Christ into the world.
Hope this helps,
John DiMascio
|
Mary
Ann replied:
Hi, Brenda —
You may pray however you wish. No
one has to pray to Mary but Mary
dispenses all the favors,
in the
sense that through her, Christ comes
into the world. That is her role.
She fulfills it regardless of whether
we pay attention to her or not, as
any mother takes care of her children,
regardless of how they treat her.
It is good to pray to Jesus, to the
Holy Spirit, to the Father, to St.
Joseph and other Saints and Angels,
and every Saint has had his or her
own special devotion, but the closer
you are to any of them, the closer
you are to Mary. If you follow the
Holy Spirit, you will find Mary by
your side. If you pray to St. Joseph,
ditto. One should not force a particular
devotion.
Often, God allows us to
grow gradually in our understanding
and appreciation of Mary, because
of natural situations and psychologies
that may interfere with relating
to her. People have historical, theological,
and personal relationship problems
that get in the way of seeing and
loving Mary.
God heals these things
in time, but it is important to have
a basic respect for Mary and knowledge
of her role. It is important
to imitate her (the truest devotion!)
because she is the pattern of the
perfect disciple. You can do this
directly or indirectly.
- Directly,
it is a matter of imitating her faith
in and obedience to God's word.
- Indirectly,
it is a matter of following the Word,
which is Christ — that is, of imitating
Christ.
When we get "hung up" on
some aspect of the faith, we should
relax. We should ask for the Holy
Spirit and we should continue in
prayer and simple trust, and everything
will work out. Eventually, we will
see as much as God wants us to see.
That is what Mary did.
Mary Ann
|
Mary
Ann followed-up:
Brenda —
When I say "it
is good to pray to Jesus",
etc. it should be corrected. It
is not just "good", it
is necessary! All prayer goes
to God through Christ in the Holy
Spirit. Mary prays with us and
with the whole Church, for all
our needs. She is indispensable
in the plan of salvation.
It is not Catholic Teaching that
she is the one who offers our prayers
to the Lord and it is not Catholic
dogma that she is Mediatrix of All Graces,
because the understanding of that
term is varied and subject to misinterpretation.
She is, however, the one who:
- brought
Christ to birth
- who offered Him
to the Father, and
- around whom the
Church gathered to receive the Spirit.
She continues those roles in our
lives.
Mary Ann
|
Terry
replied:
Dear Brenda:
Thank you for your perceptive questions
about Mary's titles of honor:
Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of All Graces,
and Advocate. You point out that
these titles are confusing and ambiguous,
especially to Christians of the reformed
tradition. The answer is simple — they
are technical theological terms, which
when rightly understood, make good
sense. One has to explain that "co" (from
the Latin cum), in Co-Redeemer, means with the Redeemer and not equal to.
Many have tried to find alternatives
without success. It is no more ambiguous
than the term Mother of God!
There is ample evidence from Scripture,
the Fathers, the Liturgy, Papal documents,
and theological opinion to support
the belief that this is a doctrine
held and taught by the ordinary and
universal Magisterium of the Catholic
Church. In brief, Mary's role
in the history of salvation is that
of a universal Mediatrix "participating" in
the work of the unique Mediator,
Jesus Christ.
As the New Eve, Mary
is the associate and helper of Christ,
the New Adam, in the acquisition of
the grace of redemption and reconciliation.
By the grace of God, she gave her
informed consent to be the Mother
of the Redeemer, thus actively cooperating
in the work of redemption and so
becoming a co-redeemer with Christ.
As Spiritual Mother in the order
of grace, Mary "participates" with
the one Mediator in the application
of the graces of the Redemption, through
her intercession and advocacy.
It is a doctrine of profound theological
and pastoral significance. Whereas
the virginal conception of Jesus
and the dogma of the Theotokos (God-bearer)
are important statements about Christ,
this doctrine is about the vocation
and mission of the Church. That the
Second Vatican Council Fathers should
include Mary in the schema on the
Church, and Pope Paul VI proclaim
Mary to be the Mother of the Church,
would seem to be prophetic. A clear
understanding and expression of Mary's
role as Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix,
and Advocate would clarify the role
of the Church and Her members in
the work of redemption.
Mary Co-Redemptrix
I am interested that you have little
problem with the concept of Mary's
role as Co-Redemptrix.
For many people,
this is the greater problem. The
Redemption of the human race could
only be achieved by a human being
who was also divine. Our Redemption
was entirely the work of Jesus Christ — a
man who was personally God, so that
what He did, as the representative
man, had infinite merit.
However, Mary actively participated
in that work in that she cooperated
with God the Father at the Annunciation.
God has given His creatures the freedom
to accept or reject His love. Mary's "Yes" was
an act of loving obedience to the
Father on behalf of all mankind.
Her "Yes" to God was
a necessary condition for the Incarnation
of the Redeemer, and so a participation
in, a cooperation with God, in the
work of redemption. Mary's
maternal role with all its trials
prepared her for the ultimate trial
at the foot of the Cross, where her "Yes",
her commitment, was total.
The majority of theologians, while
agreeing that Mary's oblation
on Calvary was a true cooperation
in the Saviour's redemptive
sacrifice, deny that it constituted
a true sacrifice in the formal sense.
She did not belong to the order of
the priesthood; hers was of the same
order as that of all the baptized,
though of a higher degree because
of her grace and dignity.
There are differing opinions as to
the manner of Mary's immediate
cooperation in the Redemption. Firstly,
Mary influenced her son, by her entreaty
and encouragement, that he lay down
His Life for our salvation. Merkelbach
put it this way:
"As the Son was moved to obey the
command of His Father [to suffer
and die], so He could not help being
influenced likewise by His Mother's
consent . . . Through her consent
and desire, Mary morally influenced
her Son and disposed Him to accomplish
the Redemption of the human race."
A second explanation suggests that
Mary's own merits and satisfactions
were accepted by the Eternal Father
together with, though subordinate
to, the merits and satisfactions
of Christ for the redemption of mankind.
Both acquired the grace of salvation
though in different ways. Mary's
cooperation was redemptive ‘because
the actions of Christ conferred a
redemptive value on Mary's
cooperation, thus enabling it to
concur in the production of the same
effect.'
This explanation has
the most support.
A third theory proposes that Mary, "being
the true Mother of Christ, had a
right to protect her Son from unjust
aggressors. By surrendering this
right, she removed an impediment
to her Son's sacrificial immolation,
and thus furnished the material principle
for the redemptive act."
By
her assent and obedience, and by
the renunciation of her maternal
rights, Mary became an efficient
cause of the Redemption.
The concept of co-redemption has
considerable significance for the
Church and for us, Her members. When
St. Paul tells us that "we are
God's fellow workers" (1
Corinthians 3:9), and speaks of "my
co-workers for the kingdom" (Colossians
4:11), and "our fellow worker
in Christ" (Romans 16:9), he
is indicating that, as Christians,
we have a mission to become co-workers with Christ for the sake of the Kingdom.
That is, God invites us to cooperate
in the work of redemption. This work
involves renunciation of self and
often much suffering. So in a mystical
way, we can say with St Paul, "Now
I rejoice in my sufferings for your
sake, and in my flesh I complete
what is lacking in Christ's
afflictions for the sake of his body,
that is, the church". (Colossians
1:24) Mary, as perfect disciple and
exemplary member of the Church, has
shown us what we have to do. Mary,
by her maternal compassion, shared
in the suffering of the Redeemer.
We too are called to join our sufferings
to those of Christ on the Cross, so
that in a mysterious way our suffering
may become redemptive. It is not
God's will that we shall suffer,
but it is our experience that all
do suffer to a greater or lesser
extent. Much of this suffering may
be attributable to sin. By offering
all we are and do, our work, our
suffering and joy to God through
Jesus, for the salvation of the world,
our lives take on a new meaning.
Through our own suffering, we, the
baptized, make up that which is lacking
in Christ's suffering: we bear
witness to his perfect Sacrifice
and we make it ever present in a
broken world. We have also the example
of many saints, martyrs, stigmatists,
and victim souls, who in their suffering
have identified with Jesus crucified.
In this sense, the Church as a whole,
and all members of the Body, are co-redeemers with Christ.
Mary Mediatrix
St. Paul tells us, "there is
one God, and there is one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom
for all". (1 Timothy 2:5–6)
Paul is quite specific: "there
is one mediator between God and men".
Ultimately, this is true, but it does
not exclude others sharing in His
mediation. We are used to the idea
of the ministerial priesthood participating
in the one high priesthood of Christ.
We have no problem in asking our
friends to pray for us in time of
need. As Catholics, it is common place
to ask Mary, our Mother, to pray
for us.
At the foot of the Cross, Mary was
given a maternal responsibility for
John, the representative of all disciples,
and hence for the Church. Mary was
thereafter to be the spiritual mother
of all God's people. While
on earth, Mary was intimately associated
with her Son in the acquisition of
the graces of redemption. It is reasonable
to postulate that now she is assumed
into Heaven, she will have a part
in the distribution of those graces
to her spiritual children.
It has been the constant belief of
the Church that Mary has a particular
power of intercession.
In this, she
conforms to her son "who lives
always to make intercession for us." (Hebrews
7:25) Her intercession to the Father
is with Christ, and through Him, in
the power of the Holy Spirit. This
aspect of her mediation is appropriate,
because as a Spiritual Mother, she
knows all the spiritual and practical
needs of her children. Her maternal
love impels her to exercise her care
for us. Being at one with her son,
she can request only that which conforms
to the will of the Father, and we
have the guarantee that "Whatever
you ask in my name, I will do it,
that the Father may be glorified
in the Son; 'if you ask anything
in my name, I will do it.' ". (John
14:13–14) Thus, we can attribute
to her a "Suppliant Omnipotence".
There is a very real problem when
we consider the full title of Mediatrix
of All Graces. Whereas Mary's
ascending mediation, by means of her
intercession and advocacy, has been
widely accepted since the earliest
times, her descending mediation is
less easy to understand. When it
is stated that Mary is the Treasurer
and Dispensatrix of all graces, without
exception, there seems to be no firm
evidence to support this pious belief.
A possible solution proposes that
the Virgin Mary, empowered by the
indwelling Holy Spirit, is the one
who actively receives all grace on
behalf of the Church. At the Annunciation,
she cooperates with the will of the
Father and so becomes the medium
by which the Mediator of All Graces
comes into the world. The Virgin
becomes fruitful as the Mother of
the God-man. In this way, she has
a secondary causal role in the mediation
of all grace. At the foot of the
Cross, the Virgin Mother receives
the graces of redemption and becomes fruitful as the Mother of the Church.
Assumed into Heaven, she continues
to fulfill her mission.
At one with
her Son, she participates in the work
of the one universal Mediator. As
the perpetual Virgin, she receives
the graces of the Redemption on behalf
of the Church as its representative.
As the caring Mother of the Church,
she administers those graces to all
who seek them.
Treasurer and Dispensatrix
of All Graces
From the reign of Leo XIII (1878–1903 A.D.)
onwards, there have been many statements
which refer to Mary's cooperation
in the Redemption, and they have employed a variety
of titles, such as "Co-operatrix", "Reparatrix", and "Dispenser".
Louis Grignion de Montfort (d. 1716 A.D.)
incorporated the notion of Mary as
Treasurer and Dispensatrix of All
Graces in his spirituality.
Mary's universal mediation
would be summed up by Matthias J.
Scheeben (d. 1888):
Not only Mary's whole position
as Mediatress, but also her preceding
mediatorial functions are entirely
designed for a universal mediation
of grace, and condition the communication
of all grace without exception.
Final Thought
Since the Second Vatican Council,
we have come to think of Mary as
one of us, though specially gifted.
She is the first and exemplary member
of the Church — one to be accepted
as a model. The high Mariology of
previous times has been de-emphasized.
Mary as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, and
Advocate belongs to this higher theology
and was first developed by Francisco
Suárez, S.J., (1548-1617),
the Founder of Systematic Mariology.
The evidence for this doctrine is
convincing, and the implications following
from it are significant for our understanding
of the Redemption.
Hope this helps answer your question,
Terry
|
Mike
replied:
Hi, Brenda —
You said:
So, does this mean:
A. that Since Mary gave birth to Jesus,
she is the Mother of Grace,
B. that her intercessory prayer to God
leads to His giving us His grace, and
C. that we receive the grace, favors, and gifts of
God through Mary.
Yes, No, Yes
A. Yes, she is the Mother of Grace
because of God's Divine Plan, not
Mary's own human plan.
She was to
be born a virgin and brought
[Salvation|Jesus] into the world through
her holy womb.
Important
Note: Not in a normal way
that mother's give birth to their
children, but in a miraculous manner. The
Divine Plan of Salvation consisted
of God's Divine Will and Mary's free
will "Yes" to become the God-Man bearer
of the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus, the Christ.
B. No, this statement is incorrect.
We can pray directly to God and God
can give us any prayer petition or
grace we need. What we do believe
is, in the same way a good friend
who is high up in a company, can put
in a good word to the President of
the company, for a neighbor of his
who is currently unemployed, so Mary,
who is Our Lord's mother, can put
in a request to her Son that our
petition can be considered. Remember
though, this isn't a fight over who
gets the prayer petition and who
doesn't. Being Catholic is
a family affair!
C. Yes, Our Lord has chosen to have
all the graces we receive, come to
us through His Mother who is our spiritual
Mother, Mary. Without Our Lady, no one would be able to have a personal
relationship with Jesus! That's because
there would be no Jesus who is both
True God and True Man in one Divine Person.
You said:
this last point seems to relegate her
to a sort of "treasurer", who delivers
God's grace to everyone.
I have no problems and I don't believe
the Church has any problems with
referring to Our Lady as a type of "treasurer" of
God's Graces, but we must remember, no matter what honors or titles we
give to Our Blessed Mother, they
are not of her own doing. It is the
work of Our Lord Jesus, from beginning
to end, with one exception. Only Mary could have said:
Yes, I will become the Handmaid
of the Lord and the Bearer of
the Second Person of the Trinity.
God could not have forced Mary to
say, "Yes".
Though her free will came
from God, God doesn't compel her
to use it in a particular situation.
This is why the Church honors her
so.
You said:
Lastly, what do any apologists on the AskACatholic team, think
of the titles of Co-Redemptrix or Mediatrix
of All Graces.
For the reasons I have explained
above, I think these are all fitting
titles of honor and truth for Our
Lady. To follow up on what Mary Ann
has said, Our Lady's titles of "Mediatrix
of All Graces" and "Co-Redemptrix" are
not dogmas of the Church, though some
bishops at Vatican II wished further
to enrich Marian doctrine with other
statements on Mary's role in
the work of salvation.
They are doctrines
or teachings of the Faith. Because
they are not dogmas, Catholics are
not bound to believe them. These
teachings are proposed for religious
assent, meaning a sort of "pious
obedience of willingness to accept",
rather than having to believe them
with divine faith.
These teachings have a basis in Revelation,
but have not been solemnly proposed.
For a good article on the differences
between dogmas and doctrines, read
the article at the end of this page.
There is no reason why some day,
the Church could not define the doctrines
of Mary being the Mediatrix of All
Graces, or Co-Redemptrix, as dogmas
of the Church. The Early Church saw
these roles in Our Lady.
If the Church
in the future did formally declare that Our Lady is "Mediatrix
of All Graces", or
"Co-Redemptrix", it
would not be an invention of the
Church, as some Protestants would
probably say.
Hope this helps,
Mike
|
Mary
Ann followed-up:
Mike,
I just
wanted to comment on the term "religious
assent". Religious assent
means the humble submission of
your mind and will to what Church
authority proposes or recommends
in a
non-binding way.
Religious assent is what we give
to John Paul II's development of Catholic
teaching on the Death Penalty. Since
the Death Penalty is in Scripture,
and throughout tradition, it cannot
be absolutely morally intrinsically
wrong — something the state can never
do under any circumstances.
Now
the Church advises us that in this
era of low respect for human life,
and an era in which there are superior
means to protect society, that recourse
to the death penalty is something
which should be rarely, if ever, used
in a developed society, and used
as a last resort, when there is no
other way to protect society. Now,
we can have different opinions as
to the circumstances of a society,
and as to when the point of last
resort is reached, and as to whether
there is or is not a way to protect
society, but we owe religious assent
to the papal teaching on modern application of the Death Penalty.
In faith, we
must hold the intrinsic morality
of the Death Penalty when justly
applied, because it is in the New
Testament. In other words, we can't
be absolutists about it, and say
it is always intrinsically evil.
Mary Ann
|
Terry
replied:
I tend to agree wholeheartedly with
Mary Ann.
I also wish that everything
were indeed black or white, but regretfully
it is not so, and we have to exercise
our judgment and (informed) conscience.
Mary Ann's example of the Death Penalty
is a perfect example of how we should
respond to this type of teaching
and accept that there is some ambiguity
in how some matters may be interpreted.
The other point I would make is that
there are many items in the Catholic
Faith which have never been formally
defined, simply because there has
been no need. This faith is shared
universally, always, and everywhere.
Many of the Councils had the intention
of refuting error, and if no one
(no large body of people) is disputing
a point, then no definition was necessary
to protect the integrity and purity
of the Faith.
Terry
|
Richard
replied:
Hi Brenda,
I found an article on the subject
by Fr. Arthur Calkins.
He argues that the Second Vatican
Council's text on Mary (chapter 8
of Lumen Gentium) teaches the doctrines
of her Mediation and Co-Redemption,
though without using those titles.
— RC |
For the sake of those reading this
question and answer we should clarify
what the Church means by dogma and
doctrine. I found an excellent piece
by Elizabeth Hruska from CUFF.
I
believe it will clarify any confusion
in this area.
Difference
Between Doctrine and Dogma
By Elizabeth Hruska
Information Specialist
Catholics
United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
The term “doctrine” can
be used generally to refer to all
of the Church's teachings. In addition, we can say that dogma
is a subset of doctrine — all
dogmas are doctrines, but not all
doctrines are dogmas.
- A doctrine is
a teaching of the universal Church
proposed as necessary for belief
by the faithful.
- Dogmas, properly
speaking, are such teachings that
are set forth to be believed as
divinely revealed (Catechism, no.
88; cf. 891-892).
When differentiating from dogma, we
use the term “doctrine” to
signify teachings that are either definitively
proposed, or are those that are proposed
as true, but not in
a definitive manner.
(cf. Catechism, nos.
88, 891-892)
For Catholics, there is an important
difference between the teachings that
we must believe, which are infallible
and unchangeable (doctrine),
and the rules that we must obey but
are changeable (disciplines).
Finally, there are areas where we are
free to believe, or not believe without
offending against faith (theological
opinions).
Christ and the Apostles, guided by the
Holy Spirit, passed on the Church's
doctrines in explicit and/or implicit
form (Catechism, nos. 74-83).
We say implicitly because, over time,
the Church has come to an increasingly
better understanding of Her doctrines
through the development of doctrine,
e.g., regarding the nature of God and
the Persons of the Trinity, and also
how Christ is both God and man. Collectively,
the Church's doctrines make up
the Deposit of Faith, and a Catholic
must believe them (see Catechism, nos. 891-892, 2035-36; cf. nos. 74-90).
The Magisterium, which is the Pope and
the bishops in union with him, is the
guardian of this teaching, not its author
and arbiter (Catechism, no.
85-87). The Magisterium is preserved
by the Holy Spirit from formally teaching
anything on faith and morals, that was
not at least implicitly taught by Christ
and the Apostles (cf. Catechism, no.
67). The Magisterium cannot formally
teach anything that contradicts the
truths revealed by Christ. The Gospels
clearly show how Christ gave this teaching
authority to the Apostles and their
successors (see Matthew 10:40, Matthew 28:19-20,
Luke 10:16, John 13:20, John 16:11). For more
on non-revealed truths that the Church
teaches definitively, i.e., truths necessarily
connected with the deposit of faith,
see our FAITH FACTS on
the Infallible Magisterium and Papal
Authority. See also Pope John Paul
II's motu propio Ad Tuendam
Fidam (“To Protect the Faith”)
on the Vatican web site.
In addition to teaching authority, Christ
gave the Apostles authority to govern
His Church (Matthew 18:16), “Discipline” refers
to the exercise of this authority. The
Church needs rules to preserve inner
unity here on earth, to help her members
achieve perfection, and provide a protective
framework within which doctrinal teaching
can be lived. Disciplines, the rules
promulgated by the Magisterium, provide
this (see FAITH FACT on
the Necessity of Law and Right Order for
further discussion).
Discipline includes
such things as Canon Law, priestly celibacy,
and certain liturgical norms, and does
not come directly from the Deposit of
Faith, but from the prudential decisions
of the Magisterium. Disciplines are
authoritative and binding in conscience
for as long as the Magisterium affirms
them. Disciplinary forms can be changed
when the Magisterium deems this necessary,
i.e., allowing the reception of Communion
in the hand. Prudence is to be exercised,
however, for disciplines can be closely
related to doctrinal concerns. Only
the Magisterium has the authority to “bind
and loose” in the domain of discipline,
and this extends to bishops' conferences
and individual bishops in certain circumstances
(cf., for example, Congregation for
Divine Worship, "Ceremonial of
Bishops," no. 7).
The Magisterium can, in addressing the
changing needs of the Church, change
or modify a discipline or Church law
which no longer seems to address a specific
need, i.e., veils for women in Church
or the 24-hour fast before Communion.
The Magisterium cannot change dogma
or doctrinal truth, which originates
from the teachings of our founder, Jesus
Christ, e.g. divorce, (Matthew 5:32) or
homosexual activity (Romans 1:18-32 and
1 Timothy 1:10).
Finally, there is the category of theological
opinion. There are many theological
questions which the Church has not definitively
answered one way or another. A wide
range of theories or opinions on these
questions are perfectly legitimate,
provided the theory does not contradict
any other doctrinal teaching of the
Church. Such opinions must be held with
a due tentativeness or reserve, ready
to submit faithfully to the final judgment
of the Magisterium. The danger here
is to treat what is merely an opinion
as a doctrine (as some did with St.
Thomas's theory of limbo) or to
hold on to a mere theological opinion
after the Church has declared a theological
question settled (for instance, in the
contemporary case of the priestly ordination
of women).
No formally defined dogma or formally
taught doctrine has ever been reversed,
or contradicted, by any later teaching.
Indeed, truth cannot contradict truth.
Doctrines and dogmas never proclaim
anything “new” about the
Faith. Over time and with the guidance
of the Holy Spirit, the Church comes
to an ever deeper and fuller understanding
and expression of the same essential
truths (Catechism, no.
66).
For your further reading, you may wish
to consult Sermon 15 of Newman's
Oxford University Sermons. Or, for more
extensive reading on the subject, you
may want to read Newman's book The
Development of Christian Doctrine (ISBN:
026800921X). This is a very helpful
book by an eminent convert to Catholicism
and highly learned scholar. Benedictus
Books at (888) 316-2640 gives a discount
of 10% to CUF members.
Please feel free to call us at 1-800-MY
FAITH with any further questions on
this or any other subject. If you have
found this service to be helpful, please
consider a donation to CUF to help sustain
this service. You can call the toll-free
line, visit us at www.cuf.org,
or send your contribution to the address
below. Thank you for your support as
we endeavor to “support, defend,
and advance the efforts of the teaching
Church.”
United in the Faith,
Elizabeth Hruska
Information Specialist |
|
|
|