Pope Benedict XVI in Zagreb. Image from Wikipedia.
See this online text:
“The Primacy of the Pope and the Unity of the People of God”, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Communio, vol. 41 (Spring 2014): pp. 112-128. Available in pdf format (here) through this page of Communio.
Posted on the Solemnity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the Roman Rite.
“The Roman Pontiff – like all the faithful – is subject to the Word of God, to the Catholic faith, and is the guarantor of the Church’s obedience… He does not make arbitrary decisions, but is spokesman for the will of the Lord, who speaks to man in the Scriptures lived and interpreted by Tradition; in other words, the episkope of the primacy has limits set by divine law and by the Church’s divine, inviolable constitution found in Revelation. The Successor of Peter is the rock which guarantees a rigorous fidelity to the Word of God against arbitrariness and conformism…” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, The Primacy of the Successor of Peter in the Mystery of the Church, 7)
The Spirit of Catholicism is a work of high theology written for a lay audience, eschewing technical terms for lucid and often beautifully poetic language. It is widely acknowledged to be one of the best introductions to Catholic Christianity available today; even George Orwell, non-believing but fair-minded (unlike many nowadays, alas), praised it in his own snarky way. Thus, it comes highly recommended by leading lay evangelists like Scott Hahn, a convert from Protestantism, and Dave Armstrong, who describes it as “perhaps the best book written about the Catholic Church in the 20th century. Must reading for Catholic and non-Catholic alike”.
In The Spirit of Catholicism, Karl Adam presents a panoramic view of the Catholic Faith from the perspective of the Incarnation, the revelation that God the Son became man in Jesus Christ for humanity’s salvation. The Incarnation shows that, even as salvation is entirely a Divine act, it is carried out through human freedom and cooperation: God the Son saved man by living and dying as a man; He shares this salvation with humanity through a community of human beings, the Church; and He supernaturally joins individuals to Himself through means appropriate to our spiritual and material life, which are called sacraments. In Chapter VII, Adam writes:
“The Catholic cannot think of the good God without thinking at the same time of the Word made Flesh, and of all His members who are united to Him by faith and love in a real unity. The God of Catholicism is the transcendent, absolute God, who became Man for us in His Son, and therefore no solitary God, but the God of angels and saints, the God of fruitfulness and abundance, the God who with a veritable divine folly by the incomprehensible decree of His most free Will takes up into Himself the whole creation that culminates in human nature, and in a new, unheard of supernatural manner, “lives in it,” “moves” in it, and in it “is” (cf. Acts XVii, 28).”
Adam shows the essence of salvation to be communion, a share in the supernatural life of Christ that is given to us through the Church, “which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23), which baptizes us into the body of Christ (1 Corintians 12:12-13) and shares with us His life through sacraments like the Eucharist (John 6:52). Nor is salvation a solitary relationship between God and the individual; rather, it is the Christian’s adoption into a family of love, among fellow-children of the Father who, being in the body of Christ, share in His Sonship. Adam writes in Chapter VIII:
“As our Lord, in the great prayer which He taught His disciples, joined all who pray into a single unity and directed them to appeal out of this unity to their common Father, and as St. Paul especially enjoined prayer for one another (Rom. xv, 30; 2 Cor. i, 11; Eph. i, 15, etc.), so the Church prays, not in the name of any individual, nor as the mere sum of all individuals, but as a fellowship, as a priestly unity, as the visible priesthood of Christ.
“It is not I and you that pray, but the mystical Christ…”
This emphasis on the role of the Church as the whole Christ would become the ecclesiology of the encyclical Mysticum Corpus Christi (1943). Although it was downplayed after the “people of God” imagery of the 1960s returned the emphasis to the juridical, rather than the mystical, nature of the Church, Adam’s ecclesiology remains influential; and we ourselves think that it helped pave the way for the rise of modern covenant ecclesiology and for Pope Benedict XVI’s emphasis on communion as the nature of the Church.
“These things Jesus spoke, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said; Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee… I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou hast given me out of the world. Thine they were, and to me thou gavest them: and they have kept thy word… Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world… And not for them only do I pray, but for those also who through their word shall believe in me.
“That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me: And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them: that they may be one, as we also are one. I in them, and thou in me: that they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast also loved me.” (St. John xvii, 1, 6, 17-18, 20-23)
The Commonitory of Vincent of Lérins, For the Antiquity and Universality of the Catholic Faith Against the Profane Novelties of all Heresies, translated by Rev. C. A. Heurtley, D.D., in A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church. Second Series, translated into English with Prolegomena and Explanatory Notes, edited by Professor Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, Volume XI: Sulpitius Severus, Vincent of Lerins, John Cassian (Edinburgh: T&T Clark; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company). Also called the Commonitorium of Saint Vincent of Lerins.
Since the introductions and footnotes on the printed text were written by a non-Catholic of evident Protestant inclination, one is advised to read them with prayerful caution.
For instance, when St. Vincent, in Chapter vi, refers to Rome as “the apostolic see”, the footnote vainly attempts to obfuscate his Catholicism by claiming that this appellation had also been applied to other local churches, particularly those founded by apostles. This notably ignores the fact that the said ancient author applied the phrase in a special and eminent way to Rome, hence its reference to Pope Stephen as “Prelate of the Apostolic See” (as opposed to Agrippinus, referred to simply as “bishop of Carthage”). Note too how the Saint referred to the bishops of Rome as “the blessed successors of the blessed apostles”; and how he surmised that Pope Stephen opposed Agrippinus’ novelty on sacramental discipline because the former understood “that as he exceeded all others in the authority of his place, so he should also in the devotion of his faith.” Thus St. Vincent clearly recognised Rome’s primacy and mandate as the apostolic see par excellence.
On the Feast of St. Vincent of Lerins, Father of the Church.
From Chapter vi of the text:
“Pope Stephen of blessed memory, Prelate of the Apostolic See… in an epistle sent at the time to Africa… laid down this rule: Let there be no innovation — nothing but what has been handed down.
“For that holy and prudent man well knew that true piety admits no other rule than that whatsoever things have been faithfully received from our fathers the same are to be faithfully consigned to our children; and that it is our duty, not to lead religion whither we would, but rather to follow religion whither it leads; and that it is the part of Christian modesty and gravity not to hand down our own beliefs or observances to those who come after us, but to preserve and keep what we have received from those who went before us.
“What then was the issue of the whole matter? What but the usual and customary one? Antiquity was retained, novelty was rejected.”
From Chapter x:
“But some one will ask, How is it then, that certain excellent persons, and of position in the Church, are often permitted by God to preach novel doctrines to Catholics?… Blessed Moses… writes thus in Deuteronomy… ‘For the Lord, your God, trieth you, to know whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.'”
From Chapter xxxiii:
“[A]ssuredly it is incumbent on all Catholics who are anxious to approve themselves genuine sons of Mother Church, to adhere henceforward to the holy faith of the holy Fathers, to be wedded to it, to die in it; but as to the profane novelties of profane men — to detest them, abhor them, oppose them, give them no quarter.
Catholic Teaching on Apostolic Succession, by the International Theological Commission (1973). Reprinted from the Tablet, 27 July, 3 August, and 10 August 1974. May be read online at the Holy See.
On the Feast of St. Matthias in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. From the text:
“Jesus Christ shows that he is the Son in that he proclaims that he comes from the Father. The Spirit shows that he is the Spirit of the Father and the Son, because he does not devise something of his own but reveals and recalls what comes from the Son (Jn 16:13). This prolongation of the work of Christ and of his Spirit gives apostolic succession its distinctive character and makes the Church’s Magisterium distinct from both the teaching authority of scholars and the rule of authoritarian power.
“If the teaching authority were to fall into the hands of professors, Faith would depend upon the lights of individuals and would be thereby exposed to influence from the Zeitgeist, the spirit of the age. And where Faith depends upon the despotic power of certain individuals or groups, who themselves would decide what the norm was, then truth is replaced by arbitrary power. The true Magisterium, on the contrary, is bound by the word of the Lord and thus ushers those who listen to it into the realm of liberty…
“No preacher of the Gospel has the right to proclaim the Gospel according to personal theories he may happen to have. He proclaims the Faith of the apostolic Church and not his own personality or his own religious experience.”
“The whole world groaned, and was astonished to find itself Arian. Some [bishops], therefore, remained in their own communion, others began to send letters to those Confessors who as adherents of Athanasius were in exile; several despairingly bewailed the better relations into which they had entered. But a few, true to human nature, defended their mistake as an exhibition of wisdom. The ship of the Apostles was in peril, she was driven by the wind, her sides beaten with the waves: no hope was now left.
“But the Lord awoke and bade the tempest cease; the beast died, and there was a calm once again… The bishops who had been caught in the snare at Ariminum and had unwittingly come to be reported of as heretics, began to assemble, while they called the Body of our Lord and all that is holy in the Church to witness that they had not a suspicion of anything faulty in their own faith.” (Saint Jerome, Dialogue Against the Luciferians, 19)
Posted on the Feast of Saint Anselm of Canterbury in the Roman Rite, and in belated commemoration of the founding of Sapienza University by Pope Boniface VIII (20 April 1303).
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven, against all impiety and injustice of those men that detain the truth of God in injustice. Because that which is known of God is manifest in them. For God hath manifested it to them. For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made: his eternal power also and divinity: so that they are inexcusable.” (Romans i, 18-20)
“Tradition as a Vehicle of Christian Doctrine”, by Rev. Charles B. Garside, M.A., in The Sacrifice of the Eucharist, and Other Doctrines of the Catholic Church, Explained and Vindicated (London: Burns and Oates, 1875), pp. 201-220. May be read online at Internet Archive. The larger text, which has an Imprimatur, is available in pdf, mobi/kindle, epub, and other formats at Internet Archive.
“Friends, though it were we ourselves, though it were an angel from heaven that should preach to you a gospel other than the gospel we preached to you, a curse upon him! I repeat now the warning we gave you before it happened, if anyone preaches to you what is contrary to the tradition you received, a curse upon him!” (Galatians i, 8-9)
“The apostasy must come first; the champion of wickedness must appear first, destined to inherit perdition… the conspiracy of revolt is already at work… Stand firm, then, brethren, and hold by the traditions you have learned, in word or in writing, from us. So may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, so may God, our Father… encourage your hearts, and confirm you in every right habit of action and speech.” (II Thessalonians ii, 3, 7, 14-16)
The Eucharistic Christ: Reflections and Considerations on the Blessed Sacrament, by the Rev. A. [Albert] Tesnière, translated by Mrs. Anne R. Bennett-Gladstone, with a Preface by the Rev. D.J. McMahon, D.D. (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1897). With Imprimatur. Available at Google Books. May be read online, and available in pdf, mobi/kindle, epub, and other formats, at Internet Archive and Open Library, with a 2nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library.
On Holy Thursday, 2018, in the one true Church.
“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, And giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat: this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: do this for the commemoration of me. In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as you shall drink it for the commemoration of me. For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord until he come.
“Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.” (I Corinthians xi, 23-29. Paragraph formatting and red lettering supplied.)
Explanation of the Apostles’ Creed: A Thorough Exposition of Catholic Faith, With Numerous Examples from Holy Scripture, the Fathers, and Other Sources, Adapted from the Original of Rev. H. Rolfus, D.D., New, Revised Edition (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger, 1907). With Imprimatur. Available at HathiTrust Digital Library. Also available in pdf, epub, mobi/kindle, and other formats at Open Library, Internet Archive, and Internet Archive (2nd copy).
Explanation of the Apostles’ Creed: A Thorough Exposition of Catholic Faith, Adapted from the Original of Rev. H. Rolfus, D.D., with a Reflection, Practice, and Prayer on each Article of the Creed, by the Very Rev. Ferreol Girardey, C.Ss.R. (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger, 1902). With Imprimatur. Available at HathiTrust Digital Library.
‘It is… impossible to separate the act of faith from its contents, that is, from the articles of the Creed. Faith cannot be a formal trust in a person who remains materially unknown to us in his being and essence, in his history and destiny. To love a person also means to want to know that person’s truth. Therefore, the content of faith is significant for our salvation. The articles of faith do not convey theoretical projections and moral postulates. Rather, they are a confession of God himself who in his words and deeds communicates himself to us as truth and life…
“Thus, faith is significant for salvation not only inasmuch as it implies trusting that God will forgive us for Christ’s sake… There is also another essential aspect of faith, namely the knowledge of God. This means that we acknowledge God in the truths that he has revealed for our salvation… If we want to be saved, we must believe “that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead” (cf. Rom 10:9)… To speak of Christianity as dogmatic… is to say that it is based on God’s historical self-revelation.’
Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania (Translation of Authentic First-Hand Reports from Soviet-Occupied Lithuania), No. 10: Struggle for Survival (Maspeth, Long Island, New York: The Lithuanian Roman Catholic Priests’ League). With a letter to the Lithuanian people from Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty dated “75 02 22” or 22 February 1975, which only appears on the pdf copy. May be read online on this page and available in pdf format on this page at Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania. [N.B., The title of the Chronicle in Lithuanian appears to be Lietuvos Katalikų Bažnyčios Kronika]
“The atheists, taking a page out of the Czars’ book, wish to use ecclesiastical leadership in their war against the Catholic Church. They try to place in responsible positions bishops cr [sic] priests submissive to the government, who would carry out directives detrimental to the Church, misinform the faithful world-wide about so-called freedom [sic] of the Church, and promulgate the regulations of the atheists government among the priests, to restrict the priests’ work: the catechizing of children, canonical visitation of parishes, etc.
“The Church of Silence will never understand the kind of diplomacy which would make it possible for the atheists to rejoice over the fact that the Vatican itself disagrees with those priests and laity who are struggling and suffering for the Fai[t]h. In return for diplomatic concessoins [sic], the atheistic government can promise much, sign the most beautiful treaties, but these will remain a dead letter, like the Declaration of Human Rights, which the atheistic government signed.”
From the letter of Cardinal Mindszenty to the Lithuanian people (on page 3 of the text):
“You are one of the oldest nations on European soil and firmly rooted in the Faith and in the Church of Christ… [Y]ou have lived through glorious times and—more important—through times of persecution and suffering. Your nation now faces probably the hardest ordeal of its history. Do not lose heart. Injustice, wrong and crime will never be transformed into justice, right and blessings merely by the fact that a long interval has elapsed. Have confidence, pray and renew yourselves spiritually and your country and your nation will be restored to freedom and dignity. Do not hate; the more and better we pray for our persecutors, the sooner will their hearts be converted to what we pray for.”
