|
 |
||
 |
|
|
|
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod |
||
| [Home] [About Us] [Our Beliefs] [Writings] [Sermons] [Martin Luther] [Church News] [Links] [Preschool] |
|
|
|
Roman Catholicism |
||
|
By Dr. Richard P. Bucher Demographics Roman Catholics number 1 billion with members in over 230 countries. The majority of of Italians, Spanish, Irish, Austrians, Poles, Latin Americans, Belgians, Hungarians, Portuguese, French, and Filopinos are baptized Roman Catholics. In the United States, 62,391,484 are baptized and professing Roman Catholics in 19,627 parishes. This makes them the largest church body in the world and in the United States. In the United States there are 11 active cardinals, 45 archbishops, 336 bishops, and more than 46,000 priests; there are also 34 archdioceses and 151 dioceses. Origin and History Roman Catholics believe that they are the Church that Christ founded upon Peter. They assert that Peter was the first bishop of Rome, and to him and all of his successors, Christ has given the keys of the kingdom, and made them the Vicar of Christ on earth, the supreme pontiff, and the head of all Christendom. This is problematic, however. There is no reliable evidence that Peter was ever the first bishop of Rome (the Bible does not mention it and the testimony of early Church history is mixed; For example, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, Clement, the bishop of Rome in 92-101 AD (a mere 30 years after Peter was ostensibly bishop), nowhere mentions that Peter or Paul were the founders or bishops of the church in Rome. The first mention of Peter as bishop of Rome was allegedly Hegesippis (c. 175), who is quoted by Eusebius in his Fourth Century Church History. From the late Second Century on, the notion that the church of Rome had been founded by Peter appears to be undisputed. Because of they believed apostolic source of the church of Rome, other bishops were willing to give a priority of honor to the bishop of Rome (the first among equals), and to look to Rome for doctrinal guidance. This does not mean, however, that other bishops viewed the bishop of Rome as supreme, the head of Christendom, or someone to whom complete obedience was due. The modern notion of the papacy gradually developed due to various historical circumstances and is far too complicated to describe fully here. In general, it can be said that the notion that the Pope is “the Supreme Pontiff over the Universal Church” developed because of (1) individual bishops of Rome increasingly claimed to have supreme power and jurisdiction over the entire Church; (2) waves of barbarian invasion that destroyed much of the western Roman Empire; (3) the conversion of barbarians from Europe by missionaries sent from Rome, who then became loyal to the Roman bishop (pope). As mentioned above, from the beginning, bishops of Rome were respected and looked to for guidance on various issues. Victor I (190) is often looked to as the first bishop of Rome to make pope-like claims. In 190 he excommunited all of the churches of Asia because they celebrated Easter at a different time than the church of Rome. He claimed to have the authority to do this, as the successor of Peter (He later rescinded this). Other popes who greatly contributed to papal primacy were Innocent I (409-417), Leo I (440-461), Gregory I (590-604), Gregory VII (1073-1085), Innocent III (1198-1216), and Boniface VIII (1294-1303). After Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Empire from Rome to Byzantium (Constantinople) in 330 the empire in the west gradually weakened. Beginning with the early Fifth Century, the western empire was overrun by a constant stream of invaders from the north. Alaric and the Vandals sacked Rome in 410, which sent shock waves through the Empire. Carthage, the other great Christian see in the West, fell to the Vandals in 439. By 450 Britain, Gaul and Spain were were being controlled by Arian Goths. Italy was ruled by a German people called the Ostrogoths from 476-554 (who were Arians). Then came the Lombards in 568. Somehow, however, the church and bishop of Rome survived all this and, being the last see of consequence in the West, extended its authority through capable bishops. At the same time, beginning with Gregory I, bishop of Rome 590-604, missionaries had been sent to convert the pagan peoples of Gaul (modern France and Germany) and the Anglo-Saxons in the British Isles. These missionaries were quite successful, and the newly converted people, in what would eventually become Europe, had a strong loyalty to the church at Rome, which was the last bishopric of any consequence in the West. By the time the bishop of Rome crowned Charlamagne (the king of the Franks) Roman emperor in 800, the authority of the Church of Rome was unchallenged in the West. Eventually, the bishops of Rome viewed themselves (and were viewed by many) not only as the supreme head of all of Christendom, but the head of all secular power as well. It must be stressed that at this time, and until the time of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, the Church that was headed by the Pope, was not called “The Church of Rome” or the “Roman Catholic Church.” They called themselves the Catholic Church that had its headquarters in Rome. By “catholic” (a word first used by Ignatius of Antioch in 107) was meant “universal” or “that which exists throughout the world.” The church was “catholic” because it existed throughout the world and because it was the true church over against heretical communities. Source & Authorities of Doctrine Roman Catholics allege that there are two sources and authorites for Christan doctrine: (1) The Bible (including the apocryphal books), and (2) sacred tradition. This “two authorities” theory of church teaching was declared to be essential Catholic doctrine at the Council of Trent (1546-1563). The most holy Synod of Trent, perceiving that this truth and instruction is contained in the written books and in the unwritten traditions, which, after they had been received by the apostles from the mouth of Christ Himself or from the apostles themselves, the Holy Spirit dictating, have come down to us, transmitted as it were from hand to hand; and following the example of the orthodox fathers, it receives and venerates with equal devotion and reverence all the books of the Old and the New Testament (since God is the author of both) and also said traditions, both those pertaining to faith, and those pertaining to morals, as dictated either orally by Christ or by the Holy Spirit and preserved by a continuous succession in the Catholic Church” (The First Decree of the Fourth Session of the Council of Trent). About this decree, Martin Chemnitz remarked, “It is truly a Pandora’s box, under whose cover every kind of corruption, abuse, and superstition has been brought into the church. For what fiction will not be allowed, if once this postulate is granted, that proof and confirmation of the Scripture are not necessary?” In Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, Part I, trans. Fred Kramer (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971), 219.The two-source theory was reaffirmed in the Dogmatic Constitution on Revelation at the Second Vatican Council in 1965: Hence there exist a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end. For sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the inspiration of the divine Spirit. To the successors of the apostles, sacred tradition hands on in its full purity God’s word, which was entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. . . . Consequently, it is not from sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore both sacred tradition and sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of devotion and reverence. Sacred tradition and sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, which is committed to the Church . . . She [the Church] has always regarded the Scriptures together with sacred tradition as the supreme rule of faith, and will ever do so (“Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation” (Dei Verbum), Documents of Vatican II, par.9, 10, 21, p. 117, 125.). To this one deposit of truth of Scripture and tradition, Vatican II linked “the living teaching office of the Church” [The Latin term is magisterum, which means the Pope and the bishops collectively] which alone has the authority to authentically interpret the one deposit. “It is clear therefore, that sacred tradition, sacred Scripture, and the teaching authority of the Church, in accord with God’s most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others.” (“Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation” (Dei Verbum), Documents of Vatican II, par. 10, p. 118). There are many sources that make up sacred tradition. Among them are the three ecumenical creeds (Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian), the 21 Ecumenical Councils, canon law, bulls, decrees, and encyclicals by various popes, authorized catechisms, and the writings of certain church fathers. Ultimately, the highest authority in the Roman Catholic Church is the Magisterium, especially the Pope. This is because (1) the Magisterium is not limited to either Scripture or Tradition in propounding new doctrines, and (2) the Magisterium is the final court of appeals, the only body that can authoritatvely interpret either Scripture or Tradition. Whereas the Lutheran Church declares that human intellect must always be subordinated to the Word of God, the Roman Catholic Church puts God’s Word and intellect on equal footing. “Although faith is above reason, there can never be any real disagreement between faith and reason, since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has put the light of reason in the human mind, and God cannot deny Himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth” (Vatican I, Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith, ch. 4). “There can be no real conflict between Christian faith and human reason, or between the truths of faith and genuine scientific truth” (Ronald Lawler, Donald W. Wuerl, and Thomas Comerford Lawler, eds., The Teaching of Christ: A Catholic Catechism for Adults (Huntington: Our Sunday Visitor, 1976), 55). God & the Person of Christ The true God is the holy Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three equally divine persons in one divine essence. Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh, God incarnate, both God and man, possessing both a divine nature and human nature in one person. The Work of Christ The Roman Catholic Church teaches that by his perfect life of obedience and atoning death on the cross, Jesus Christ made satisfaction to the Father for our faults and sins, forgave all our sins, reconciled us to the Father, and redeemed us. His cross is the source of our salvation, and by his death he merited justifificatin for us all. He was our Substitute who bore our sins, our guilt, and our punishment. Jesus Christ died for all human beings, past, present, and future. There are many beautiful and truly Biblical statements about the work of Christ in Roman Catholic literature. However, when their doctrine of sin, penance, indulgences, and purgatory are factored in, they hold that Christ’s death did not fully remove all of our sin and punishment. Christians who have not been fully purified in this life (most Christians in their view), will not enter heaven until they have been “purified” with fire in Purgatory. Thus, in the final analysis, Roman Catholic theology does not hold that Jesus Christ atoned for all sin and punishment on the cross. See the section on “Sin” below. Man Adam and Eve were created in the image and likeness of God as the crown of God’s creation, and, as such, have inestimable worth. Man was bestowed with natural gifts (the image of God), such as reason and freedom of the will. He was also bestowed with supernatural gifts (the likeness of God), that enabled him to be sinless and the ability to have the beatific vision of God. In the Fall, man lost the likeness of God but not the image of God (Scripture itself does NOT make this disctinction). Therefore the descendents of Adam still have use of their intellect and freedom of the will, even in spiritual things (but Scripture clearly says that the natural man, i.e., unbelivers, are spiritually dead in sin -- Ephesians 2:1-10; 1 Co 2:14). Sin The Lutheran position is that since the Fall, because of original sin, man is totally corrupt, spiritually blind and dead, and unable to contribute anything to his salvation. The will does not have freedom to choose God but is in bondage. Since the Council of Trent, the Church of Rome disagrees. According to them, man is deprived but not depraved, spiritually sick but not dead. When man fell into sin, he lost the likeness of God (spiritual powers), but not the image of God (rational powers and free will). Therefore man, even in the fallen state is able to seek, know, and love God to a certain extent. Lutherans teach that the corruption that is in every human because of original sin is truly sin. Roman Catholics disagree and say that only voluntary or actual sins are truly sin. Lutherans believe that through Baptism and and conversion, original sin is covered and forgiven; Roman Catholics teach that through Baptism original sin is eradicated. Lutherans teach that every sin is a rebellion against God, and, without Christ, equally damnable. Roman Catholics distinguish between “mortal” and “venial” sins. (The Bible makes no such distinction). They define mortal sin as “a sin that separates one from the friendship of God, or deepens one’s alienation from God. . . . As an act, a mortal sin in the formal sense is an action which is in itself seriously wrong, or is judged by the doer to be so, and which nonetheless is performed knowingly and deliberately . . . . If one deliberately and knowingly offends God in a serious matter, he thereby loses his share in divine life and gives up his title to a place in heaven.” (Lawler, 304) It is never made clear, however, which sins, specifically, are “seriously wrong.” Venial sin “does not deprive one wholly of the life of grace and friendship with God; it is not a conscious and free decision to do what is gravely wrong” (Lawler, 304). Lutherans hold that Jesus Christ was punished in our place so that we will not be. With Scripture, we do hold that there are often temporal punishments in this life because of our sin (e.g., King David was driven out of Jerusalem by his own son as a temporal punishment of his sin - 2 Samuel 12). Once we die, however, no temporal punishments remain. Roman Catholics, on the other hand, teach that if we do not purify ourselves in this life by our works and penance, temporal punishment awaits us in Purgatory.“To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave [mortal] sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the "eternal punishment" of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the "temporal punishment" of sin.” (CCC 1472). “The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the "old man" and to put on the "new man."” (CCC 1473) This is where indulgences come in, by the way. An indulgence “is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.” (CCC 1471). Indulgences can be applied to the living or the dead and can be partial or plenary. (See "A Short Commentary on the Pope's Bull,Incarnationis Mysterium Justification At the Council of Trent, in a series of anathamas, the Roman Catholic Church specifically responded to the Lutheran understanding of justification by grace for Christ’s sake through faith alone:
Though Romans Catholics, like Lutherans, confess and affirm that the Christian is “justified by faith” or “justified by grace,” a very different understanding of justification lays beneath the surface. For Lutherans, justification is forensic, but for Roman Catholics, justification is transformational. Lutherans believe that to justifiy means “to declare righteous or not guilty.” Because of Christ’s atoning death, God declares the believer justified. When a person believes in Christ, God declares him not guilty and it is an accomplished fact. Justification is what God has done in Christ for the believer. For Rome, justification is an inner and gradual transformation of the soul that is made possible after conversion through infused grace and human good works. Justification is what God is doing in the believer in cooperatin with their efforts. To be consistent the Roman Catholic can only say, “I am being justified.” CCC says, “Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man.”Already in the Sixteenth Century Martin Chemnitz targeted the chief difference: “For this is the chief question, this is the issue, the point of controversy: namely, what that is on account of which God receives sinful man into grace; what must and can be set over against the judgment of God, that we may not be condemned . . . whether it is the satisfaction, obedience, and merit of the Son of God, the Mediator, or, indeed, the renewal which has been begun in us, the love, and other virtues in us . . . whether the regenerate are justified by that newness which the Holy Spirit works in them and by the good works which follow from that renewal” (Chemnitz, 468, 481). Grace For Lutherans, grace is favor Dei, God’undeserved attitude by which he fully accepts sinners for Christ’s sake. For Roman Catholics (thanks to Lutherans) grace can be called the favor of God, but ultimately is a kind of substance or quality that is poured into the soul by the Holy Spirit, initially at Baptism. This grace then aids the converted sinner in cooperating in his salvation. Note this statement of the CCC: “Our justification comes from the grace of God. Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life” (CCC 1996). Faith For Roman Catholics, justifiying faith is but “the beginning of human salvation, the foundation and root of all justification” (Chemnitz, 459; quoting the Council of Trent, Session Six, Chapter Seven). As seen above, they explicity reject the teaching that the Christian is justified by faith alone. They understand the Biblical expression, “without the works of the law” (Rom 3:28) to be referring to the ceremonial good works of the Old Testament and/or the good works of unbelievers, not the good works of believers. They hold that believers are justified by their good works. Lutherans do good works after conversion because they are already justified by God’s grace in Christ, not in order to be justified or saved. Our basis of entering glory is always and only the good works of Jesus Christ, and never the good works that we do. To depend on one’s works after conversion is to risk losing one’s salvation (Gal 5:3-4). Though they have substantially altered their definition, the Roman Catholic Church continues to speak of our salvation as depending in part on human merit.“Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life. Even temporal goods like health and friendship can be merited in accordance with God's wisdom. These graces and goods are the object of Christian prayer. Prayer attends to the grace we need for meritorious actions.” (CCC 2010) Though they assert that all our merits depend totally on God’s grace, the continued emphasis on merit (which has no Biblical basis) is confusing and may tempt someone to rely on the merits of their works to be saved. It is Christ’s merits alone, not ours or any other saint’s, that saves us. Anything else robs Christ of his glory. The Church Before the Council of Vatican II (1962-1965), Roman Catholics equated the holy Christian Church with the external organization of the Church of Rome, with the Pope at its head. All those baptized into the Church of the Pope were the Church, all those who were not baptized in that Church, were not. In their view, the Christian Church was the visible Church of Rome; there was no other. Their belief was that there was no salvation outside of the Church of the Pope. At Vatican II, they modified this view. There they emphasized the concept of “the people of God,” and said all those are the people of God who believe in Jesus Christ and are baptized (CCC 804). For the first time they allowed that the Church is not limited to the Roman Catholic Church. The following quotes are representative:
Moreover, the Decree of Ecumenism at Vatican II, the Roman Church repeatedly referred to Christians outside of the Roman Church as “separated brethren” and their churches as “churches.” However, it should be made clear that Rome does not recognize as legitimate either the ministries or the eucharists celebrated in Protestant churches. This is because of their understanding of the apostolic and episcopal succession: (1) only bishops who have been ordained by the Pope are true bishops; (2) only priests ordained by such bishops are true priests; (3) only such priests have the power to turn bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood. Put another way, for Roman Catholics, the visible hierarchy of the Church, reflecting as it does the apostolicity of the church, is an essential aspect of the Church. Not for Lutherans. Lutherans do not believe that any form of church government is an essential part of the Church’s identity or definition. Lutherans believe that the apostolicity of the church is located in its apostolic doctrine, not in a supposed “unbroken” apostolic succession of popes and bishops. Additionally, Lumen Gentium gives the impression that convinced Catholics who change their mind and leave that Church and join another might lose their salvation: “This sacred synod turns its attention first to the Catholic faithful. . . . Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary [for salvation] by God through Jesus Christ, would refuse to enter her or to remain in her could not be saved” (Lumen Gentium 14). Finally, only those who accept the entire system of the Catholic Church and are in union with her visible structure (Pope and bishops) and sacraments are “fully incorporated into the society of the Church (Lumen Gentium 14). The Pope The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Pope (from the Latin papa which means “father”; also known as “the Supreme Pontiff,” Holy Father,” “Vicar of Christ.”), the bishop of Rome, has power and jurisdiction over the entire Church. There can be no church apart from him. They base this on Matthew 16:16-18 in which Christ gave to Peter the keys of the kingdom; it is their belief that the church is built upon Peter, the Rock; it also their belief that Peter was the first bishop of Rome (30-60 AD) and that all succeeding bishops of Rome (popes) share the same power. Now, what Christ the Lord, the Prince of Shepherds and Great Shepherd of the Sheep, established in the person of the blessed apostle Peter for the perpetual welfare and everlasting good of the Church must, by the will of the Same, endure without interruption in the Church, which, founded on the Rock, will stand firm to the end of the world. . . . Therefore, whoever succeeds Peter in his Chair holds Peter’s primacy over the whole Church according to the plan of Christ Himself.” (Council of Vatican I, Church, ch. 2. quoted in Lawler, 205). The pope has jurisdiction over the entire Church. He is bishop not only of Rome, but of the universal Church. His authority as bishop s “immediate,” that is to say, each member of the flock, of whatever rank, is required to accept the pastoral direction of the first shepherd. He is bishop of the all the Church, of his fellow bishops and all the faithful individually and collectively. The pope’s authority an duty extend not only to the teaching of faith and moral doctrine, but also to whatever pertains to the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world. (Lawler, 206) Vatican I declared that the Pope is infallible when he speaks ex cathedra: Therefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith . . . we teach and define that it is a dogma divinely revealed: that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when acting in the office of shepherd and teacher of all Christians by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority he defines doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church, by the divine assistance promised him in Blessed Peter, is possessed of that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer willed His Church to be endowed in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals; and that therefore such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are of themselves, and not from consent of the Church, irreformable (First Vatican Council, Session 4, July 18, 1870, Church ch. 4, quoted in Lawler, 228; see also Lumen Gentium 25). The Sacraments The Council of Trent declared that there are exactly seven sacraments, and anyone who declared that there were more or less were condemned (Trent, Session VII, Canon 1). They are baptism, confirmation, the eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick (extreme unction), holy orders (ordination), and matrimony. They call these the “sacraments of the new law” which correspond to all the stages of life (CCC 1210). Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration of water in the word. It forgives all sins, including original sin, and liberates from the devil. It causes one to become a new creation and incorporates that one in the Body of Christ, the Church. It is one of three sacraments of initiation, the other two being confirmation and the eucharist. Infants are baptized. Baptism is done by pouring or sprinkling. Both priests and deacons may baptize. Baptism is necessary for salvation in normal circumstances. Lutherans believe that in baptism all sin and punishment is forgiven, and is no longer counted against the baptized; but the sinful nature brought about through original sin remains. Catholics teach that baptism eradicates all sin, including original sin. Baptism imprints on the soul an indelible mark (which means it shouldn’t be repeated). Confirmation brings about the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the confirmand as happened on the day of Pentecost. Confirmation completes baptism. It increases our union with Christ and the Church. It increases baptismal grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1302-1303). Only the bishop can perform confirmation. The bishop anoints the forehead, lays hands on the confirmand and says, “Be sealed with the Holy Spirit.” They base this on Acts 8. Lutherans respond that Acts 8 involved a unique situation (the conversion of the first Samaritans) and has nothing to do with a sacrament of Confirmation. There is no Scriptural support for confirmation. The Eucharist is the most important of all the sacraments. It is the true and substantial body and blood of Jesus Christ given under the species of bread and wine. When the priest consecrates the bread and wine they are changed into Christ’s body and blood, so that bread and wine no longer remain (transubstantiation). Only someone who has ordained in the Roman Catholic church can effect this change (CCC 1411). Therefore, Lutheran and Protestant churches cannot have valid Eucharists. “Ecclesial communities derived from the Reformation and separated from the Catholic Church, ‘have not preserved the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Holy Orders.’ It is for this reason that Eucharistic intercommunion with these communities is not possible for the Catholic Church” (CCC 1400). Roman Catholics normally give only the bread to the laity, though they make exceptions since Vatican II. They teach that the Lord’s Supper is a sacrifice: “The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit” (CCC 1366). Lutherans respond by saying, “Fruit, yes. Sacrifice, no.” The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different." "In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner (CCC 1367). They also teach that when the Eucharist is celebrated, the Church sacrifices itself along with Christ to God. “The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. The Church which is the Body of Christ participates in the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is offered whole and entire. She unites herself to his intercession with the Father for all men. In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body” (CCC 1368). Furthermore, “The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed who "have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified," so that they may be able to enter into the light and peace of Christ . . . By offering to God our supplications for those who have fallen asleep, if they have sinned, we . . . offer Christ sacrificed for the sins of all, and so render favorable, for them and for us, the God who loves man” (CCC 1371). Penance or Reconciliation grants forgiveness from God and reconciles the sinner to the fellowship of the church. Confession of sins to the priest forms an essential part of Penance. Mortal sins must be confessed at least once a year and all must be enumerated. The Sacrament of Penance has three essential parts: (1) contrition; (2) confession; and (3) satisfaction. Satisfaction means doing something to make amends or to expiate fully one’s sin. “Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods . . .). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must "make satisfaction for" or "expiate" his sins. This satisfaction is also called "penance." (CCC 1459). Such satisfaction takes different forms. “It can consist of prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear” (CCC 1460). By contrast, Lutherans teach that Penance has two parts: (1) Confession of sins, and (2) Absolution. Faith in the words of absolution is all-important. Once a sinner is absolved, no satisfaction is needed, unless it involves restitution to a neighbor wronged. Finally, for Roman Catholics, indulgences are closely related to the Sacrament of Penance. Holy Orders or Ordination - “Today the word "ordination" is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election, designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a "sacred power" (sacra potestas) which can come only from Christ himself through his Church. Ordination is also called consecratio, for it is a setting apart and an investiture by Christ himself for his Church. The laying on of hands by the bishop, with the consecratory prayer, constitutes the visible sign of this ordination (CCC 1538). Those ordained are said to be marked with an indelible sacred character (CCC 1582) that makes them priests forever (even if they are discharged from office). The supreme duty of the ordination of the priests, and their greatest power is the ability to change bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood. (CCC 1566). Only those who remain celibate can be priests (but Scripture never commands this but leaves it voluntary). Anointing of the Sick - “The Church believes and confesses that among the seven sacraments there is one especially intended to strengthen those who are being tried by illness, the Anointing of the Sick: This sacred anointing of the sick was instituted by Christ our Lord as a true and proper sacrament of the New Testament. It is alluded to indeed by Mark, but is recommended to the faithful and promulgated by James the apostle and brother of the Lord [James 5]” (CCC 1511). It is not intended only for those at the point of death, but is for anyone who has serious sickness or is facing surgery. It is said to grant not only healing, but also forgiveness and the strengthening of faith (CCC 1532). Only bishops and priests can perform the Sacrament of Anointing. Related to this Sacrament is Viaticum, the giving of the Eucharist to those who are at the point of death (CCC 1524). Matrimony is the lifelong union between one man and one woman. Divorce is not permitted for any reason. When Catholics divorce nonetheless and remarry, their new marriages are not considered valid. They are not separated from the church, but they can no longer receive the Eucharist or perform certain ecclesiastical duties. Only if they repent of their divorce and live in continence until death can they again receive the Eucharist. (CCC 1650). Annulment of a marriage can occur if it can be proven by an ecclesiastical tribunal that one of the spouses did not give their free consent: “For this reason (or for other reasons that render the marriage null and void) the Church, after an examination of the situation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal, can declare the nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed. In this case the contracting parties are free to marry, provided the natural obligations of a previous union are discharged” (CCC 1629). Marriages between Catholics and baptized non-Catholic are allowed but require approval by the ecclesiastical authority. Normally the Eucharist is celebrated at a Catholic wedding. Life After Death The Roman Catholic Church’s teaching on heaven, hell, and the resurrection of the dead are virtually identical to that of the Lutheran Church. They differ, however, in their teaching of Purgatory. “All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.” The purification is by fire, and its pain is only exceeded by the pains of hell. Purgatory is the place where people are punished with the temporal punishments still due them from their life on earth and for sins that they did not do penance for. Roman Catholics believe that the time in Purgatory can be shortened by the following actions of Christians still on earth: Masses for the dead, indulgences, and prayers of many kinds. They base the practice of praying for the dead on 2 Macc 12:45 and the writings of various church fathers. Lutherans respond that there is no clear Scriptural support for Purgatory. It also shows a total misunderstanding of Christ’s atonement. Purgatory robs Christ’s all-atoning death of the cross of its glory, since it implies that Christ did not do everything needed to forgive all sin and punishment. Mary With Lutherans, Roman Catholics confess that Mary is the mother of God and is the highest example of a Christian in faith and virtue; therefore she deserves honor. However, the Roman Catholic Church goes far beyond this. It confesses that Mary is a Mediatrix and Co-Redeemer with Christ, and as such she continues to contribute to our salvation by her intercessions in heaven."This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation .... Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix." (CCC 969). Rome qualifies this by saying that her intercessions and gifts of grace depend totally on the One Mediator, Jesus Christ. They teach that the Christian is required to give adoration to Mary, and to seek her help in all kinds of dangers and needs. “The Church’s devotion to Mary is intrinsic to Christian worship.” (CCC 971). Finally, Roman Catholics teach that Mary was free from original sin and was assumed bodily into heaven."Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death." The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death (CCC 996).The Assumption of Mary doesn’t mean she didn’t die (she did). But rather, she immediately experienced the bodily resurrection, which other Christians will not experience until the last day. There is no Scriptural foundation for any of these teachings about Mary; they rob Christ of his glory, and lead to idolatry. The Saints Generally speaking, Roman Catholics have tended to define saints rather narrowly as referring only to a small group of deceased Christians who, while on earth, manifested extraordinary piety. Furthermore, such Christians officially become saints only after being canonized by the Pope . To be canonized a Christian had to have shown exemplary piety, performed at least one miracle in life, and one after death. Roman Christians also believe that these saints intercede for us before God and can aid those who pray to them. They therefore urge their followers to venerate and invoke the saints for help and mercy. The Lutheran Church, on the other hand, has broadly defined saints to be all believers in Jesus Christ, both living and dead (as does Scripture). They became saints, Scripture teaches, through faith in Jesus Christ and holy Baptism. According to Lutherans, the "work" of the saints in heaven is largely undefined by Scripture. If heavenly saints do pray for Christians on earth, say the Lutherans, nowhere in Scripture are believers encouraged to invoke them or look to them for aid, let alone for forgiveness or salvation. Such praying and venerating the saints can easily lead to an idolatrous robbing of Christ of His glory as the only Savior and Mediator. Universalism At Vatican II, Roman Catholicism officially declared that people “who through no fault of their own did not know the gospel of Christ” or had “not arrived at an explicit knowledge of God” will be saved by the good that they do. This is a type of semi-universalism, which changes John 14:6 to say, “Some can come to the Father apart from Me.” And who are those who have no fault before God, when Romans 1:20 says “they are without excuse” and Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”Those also can attain to everlasting salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does the divine Providence deny the help necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God, but who strive to live a good life, thank to His grace. (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 16). |
||