Thursday 28th March 2024

Home » Our Catholic Faith » Currently Reading:

Bishops Teach, Sanctify, And Govern

September 12, 2015 Our Catholic Faith No Comments

By DON FIER

Part 2

Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, as successors of the Twelve Apostles, have been entrusted with the mission of caring for Christ’s sheep, but always under the authority of the Supreme Pontiff. In union with the college of bishops and the Pope, their solemn duty toward the portion of the flock assigned to them — as well as toward the universal Church — is threefold: “performing for them the office of teaching, sanctifying, and governing” (Christus Dominus, n. 11 § 2).
It is teaching, as was underscored last week, that is eminent among these duties: “Bishops, with priests as co-workers, have as their first task ‘to preach the Gospel of God to all men,’ in keeping with the Lord’s command” (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], n. 888).
The teaching office of the Church has been given the charism of infallibility when it speaks authoritatively on matters of faith and morals. The word “infallibility,” as concisely defined by the Catechism, is “the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church whereby the pastors of the Church, the pope and the bishops with him, can definitively proclaim a doctrine of faith or morals for the belief of the faithful” (CCC, Glossary). Magisterial teaching, as we also saw last week, can be exercised in different forms and requires of the faithful varying levels of assent.
“When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine ‘for belief as being divinely revealed’ (Dei Verbum, n. 10 § 2), and as the teaching of Christ,” teaches the Catechism, “the definitions ‘must be adhered to with the obedience of faith’ (Lumen Gentium [LG], n. 25 § 2)” (CCC, n. 891) by all the faithful.
This is true not only for truths explicitly revealed in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, but also for those truths determined by the Magisterium to be implicitly revealed. Moreover, even non-infallible magisterial teachings that lead to a better understanding of matters related to faith and morals are to be adhered to with religious assent.
To better understand the teaching authority of the Church and the different forms by which it is exercised, it would be good to define several terms. First, what exactly is the Magisterium? Its etymology comes from the Latin magister, which means “the office of master.” As defined by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, in his Modern Catholic Dictionary (MCD), the Magisterium is “the Church’s teaching authority, vested in the bishops, as successors of the Apostles, under the Roman Pontiff, as successor of St. Peter. [It is] also vested in the Pope, as Vicar of Christ and visible head of the Catholic Church” (p. 329), and is normally separated into two classifications.
The Extraordinary Magisterium is “the Church’s teaching office exercised in a solemn way, as in formal declarations of the Pope or of ecumenical councils of the bishops approved by the Pope. When the extraordinary magisterium takes the form of papal definitions or conciliar decisions binding on the consciences of the faithful in matters of faith and morals, it is infallible.”
The ordinary Magisterium, in contrast, is “the teaching office of the hierarchy under the Pope exercised normally, that is, through the regular means of instructing the faithful. These means are all the usual channels of communication, whether written, spoken, or practical. When the ordinary magisterium is also universal, that is, collectively intended for all the faithful, it is also infallible” (MCD, p. 329).
Therefore, the infallibility of a magisterial teaching hinges not on whether it is being taught by the extraordinary or ordinary Magisterium, but rather on whether or not it is being taught definitively.
Another term that warrants definition with regard to the Church’s teaching authority is “ex cathedra.” Its etymology is from the Latin and literally means “from the chair.” It refers to binding and infallible teachings of the Pope when he officially teaches as the universal shepherd of the Church on a matter of faith or morals. “When the Pope speaks from the chair of authority, as visible head of all Christians,” explains Fr. Hardon, “his teaching is not dependent on the consent of the Church and is irreformable” (MCD, p. 199).
It is often wrongly claimed that infallible papal pronouncements have been made only twice in the last two centuries: in 1854 on the occasion of the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Pope Pius IX, and in 1950 when the dogma of our Lady’s Assumption into Heaven was solemnly proclaimed by Pope Pius XII. While it might arguably be said that these were the only two dogmatic definitions in recent centuries, papal infallibility has been exercised often over the years, many times prior to the formal definition of the doctrine by the First Vatican Council in 1870 in the decree Pastor Aeternus.
In a 1989 discourse to U.S. bishops in the Second Ecclesiastical Region, Pope John Paul II stated that the ordinary and universal Magisterium is the “normal expression of the infallibility of the Church” (L’Osservatore Romano, January 22, 1989). In many cases, Popes have chosen to infallibly confirm the teaching of the ordinary and universal Magisterium on divinely revealed matters of faith and morals in an encyclical or apostolic letter. Consider such papal documents as Casti Connubii by Pope Pius XI, Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI, and Veritatis Splendor, Evangelium Vitae, and Ordinatio Sacerdotalis by Pope John Paul II, all of which reaffirm infallible truths of the faith and natural law that are under attack in today’s world.
The Catechism next instructs the faithful on the sanctifying office of the bishop: “The bishop is ‘the steward of the grace of the supreme priesthood’ (LG, n. 26 § 1), especially in the Eucharist which he offers personally or whose offering he assures through the priests, his co-workers” (CCC, n. 893). Note the special emphasis on the Eucharist, which the Catechism goes on to describe as “the center of the life of the particular Church.” Why is the Eucharist so important? It is precisely “in his function of celebrating the sacred mysteries,” says St. John Paul II, “[that] the bishop builds the Church as a communion in Christ” (general audience, November 11, 1992).
Moreover, in fulfilling their office of sanctification, bishops are called to be examples and models of Christian life. “By the example of their way of life,” teaches Vatican II, “they must be an influence for good to those over whom they preside, refraining from all evil and, as far as they are able with God’s help, exchanging evil for good, so that together with the flock committed to their care they may arrive at eternal life” (LG, n. 26 § 3).
They are to keep in mind always an exhortation from St. Peter: “Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3).

A Spirit Of Humility

Lastly, the Catechism considers the episcopal office of governance. “Bishops, as vicars and ambassadors of Christ,” teach the council fathers, “govern the particular churches entrusted to them by their counsel, exhortations, example, and even by their authority and sacred power, which indeed they use only for the edification of their flock in truth and holiness, remembering that he who is greater should become as the lesser and he who is the chief become as the servant (cf. Luke 22:26-27)” (LG, n. 27 § 1).
St. John Paul explains that this teaching hinges on a basic principle: “In the Church, authority is meant to be upbuilding” (general audience, November 18, 1992). This is in keeping with the desire of St. Paul in his pastoral office over the Corinthians, that he would “not have to be severe in [his] use of the authority which the Lord has given [him] for building up and not for tearing down” (2 Cor. 13:10).
St. John Paul, in the same audience, states that “the episcopate is more a service than an honor.” Pope Francis highlighted the same point in his general audience of November 5, 2014: “We must understand that [the episcopate] is not about having a position of prestige, an honorific charge. The Bishop is not an honorary role. It is a service!” He continued, “It is sad when we see a man who seeks this office and does so many things to get it and when he gets it he does not serve, [but] instead goes around like a peacock and lives only for his vanity.”
The office of bishop should be undertaken in a spirit of humility, following the example of Jesus who implored the twelve: “Let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves” (Luke 22:26).
The mission and life of a bishop is a difficult one — those whom they serve should pray for them daily. “The faithful must cling to their bishop, as the Church does to Christ, and Jesus Christ to the Father, so that all may be of one mind through unity and abound to the glory of God” (LG, n. 27 § 3).

+ + +

(Don Fier serves on the board of directors for The Catholic Servant, a Minneapolis-based monthly publication. He and his wife are the parents of seven children. Fier is a 2009 graduate of Ave Maria University’s Institute for Pastoral Theology. He is doing research for writing a definitive biography of Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)

Share Button

2019 The Wanderer Printing Co.

Vatican and USCCB leave transgender policy texts unpublished

While U.S. bishops have made headlines for releasing policies addressing gender identity and pastoral ministry, guidelines on the subject have been drafted but not published by both the U.S. bishops’ conference and the Vatican’s doctrinal office, leaving diocesan bishops to…Continue Reading

Biden says Pope Francis told him to continue receiving communion, amid scrutiny over pro-abortion policies

President Biden said that Pope Francis, during their meeting Friday in Vatican City, told him that he should continue to receive communion, amid heightened scrutiny of the Catholic president’s pro-abortion policies.  The president, following the approximately 90-minute-long meeting, a key…Continue Reading

Federal judge rules in favor of Gov. DeSantis’ mask mandate ban

MIAMI (LifeSiteNews) – A federal judge this week handed Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis another legal victory on his mask mandate ban for schools. On Wednesday, Judge K. Michael Moore of the Southern District of Florida denied a petition from…Continue Reading

The Eucharist should not be received unworthily, says Nigerian cardinal

Priests have a duty to remind Catholics not to receive the Eucharist in a state of serious sin and to make confession easily available, a Nigerian cardinal said at the International Eucharistic Congress on Thursday. “It is still the doctrine…Continue Reading

Donald Trump takes a swipe at Catholics and Jews who did not vote for him

Donald Trump complained about Catholics and Jews who did not vote for him in 2020. The former president made the comments in a conference call featuring religious leaders. The move could be seen to shore up his religious conservative base…Continue Reading

Y Gov. Kathy Hochul Admits Andrew Cuomo Covered Up COVID Deaths, 12,000 More Died Than Reported

When it comes to protecting people from COVID, Andrew Cuomo is already the worst governor in America. New York has the second highest death rate per capita, in part because he signed an executive order putting COVID patients in nursing…Continue Reading

Prayers For Cardinal Burke . . . U.S. Cardinal Burke says he has tested positive for COVID-19

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke said he has tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. In an Aug. 10 tweet, he wrote: “Praised be Jesus Christ! I wish to inform you that I have recently…Continue Reading

Democrats Block Amendment Banning Late-Term Abortions, Stopping Abortions Up to Birth

Senate Democrats have blocked an amendment that would ban abortions on babies older than 20 weeks. During consideration of the multi-trillion spending package, pro-life Louisiana Senator John Kennedy filed an amendment to ban late-term abortions, but Democrats steadfastly support killing…Continue Reading

Transgender student wins as U.S. Supreme Court rebuffs bathroom appeal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to a transgender former public high school student who waged a six-year legal battle against a Virginia county school board that had barred him from using the bathroom corresponding…Continue Reading

New York priest accused by security guard of assault confirms charges have now been dropped

NEW YORK, June 17, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — A New York priest has made his first public statement regarding the dismissal of charges against him.  Today Father George W. Rutler reached out to LifeSiteNews and other media today with the following…Continue Reading

21,000 sign petition protesting US Catholic bishops vote on Biden, abortion

More than 21,000 people have signed a letter calling for U.S. Catholic bishops to cancel a planned vote on whether President Biden should receive communion.  Biden, a Catholic, supports abortion rights and has long come under attack from some Catholics over that…Continue Reading

Bishop Gorman seeks candidates to fill two full time AP level teaching positions for the 2021-2022 school year in the subject areas of Calculus/Statistics and Physics

Bishop Thomas K. Gorman Regional Catholic School is a college preparatory school located in Tyler, Texas. It is an educational ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler led by Bishop Joseph Strickland. The sixth through twelfth grade school provides a…Continue Reading

Untitled 5 Untitled 2

Attention Readers:

  Welcome to our website. Readers who are familiar with The Wanderer know we have been providing Catholic news and orthodox commentary for 150 years in our weekly print edition.


  Our daily version offers only some of what we publish weekly in print. To take advantage of everything The Wanderer publishes, we encourage you to su
bscribe to our flagship weekly print edition, which is mailed every Friday or, if you want to view it in its entirety online, you can subscribe to the E-edition, which is a replica of the print edition.
 
  Our daily edition includes: a selection of material from recent issues of our print edition, news stories updated daily from renowned news sources, access to archives from The Wanderer from the past 10 years, available at a minimum charge (this will be expanded as time goes on). Also: regularly updated features where we go back in time and highlight various columns and news items covered in The Wanderer over the past 150 years. And: a comments section in which your remarks are encouraged, both good and bad, including suggestions.
 
  We encourage you to become a daily visitor to our site. If you appreciate our site, tell your friends. As Catholics we must band together to rediscover our faith and share it with the world if we are to effectively counter a society whose moral culture seems to have no boundaries and a government whose rapidly extending reach threatens to extinguish the rights of people of faith to practice their religion (witness the HHS mandate). Now more than ever, vehicles like The Wanderer are needed for clarification and guidance on the issues of the day.

Catholic, conservative, orthodox, and loyal to the Magisterium have been this journal’s hallmarks for five generations. God willing, our message will continue well into this century and beyond.

Joseph Matt
President, The Wanderer Printing Co.

Untitled 1

Catechism

Today . . .

Abortion Advocates No Longer Consider It “A Necessary Evil,” They Celebrate Killing Babies

Last week, Kamala Harris became the first vice president in U.S. history to make a public visit to an abortion clinic. Though the Democratic party’s support for abortion is nothing new, Harris’ Planned Parenthood appearance does illustrate how that support has become a flagrant celebration of abortion as a public and personal good, essential to both “freedom” and to “healthcare.” At the appearance, Harris proclaimed,  It is only right and fair that people have access…Continue Reading

Wisconsin Supreme Court says Catholic charity group cannot claim religious tax exemption

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a major Catholic charity group’s activities were not “primarily” religious under state law, stripping the group of a key tax break and ordering it to pay into the state unemployment system. Catholic Charities Bureau (CCB) last year argued that the state had improperly removed its designation as a religious organization.  The charity filed a lawsuit after the state said it did not qualify to be considered as an organization…Continue Reading

Walgreens and CVS Will Start Selling Abortion Pills That Kill Babies

The two largest pharmacies in America will start selling abortion pills this month that end the lives of unborn children by starting them to death. Walgreens and CVS will both sell the abortion pills despite the fact that they kill a developing human being and have killed at least dozens of women and injured tens of thousands more. They plan to initially roll out abortion drug sales in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, California…Continue Reading

Cardinal Burke announces novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for ‘crises of our age’

VATICAN CITY (PerMariam) — Raymond Cardinal Burke has announced the start of a global, nine-month novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, calling on Catholics to beseech Mary’s intercession on the Church and the world in the face of the “crises of our age.” In a new endeavour published online over the weekend, Cardinal Burke announced a novena beginning in March, and culminating on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.

Texas attorney general targets Catholic nonprofit, alleges it facilitates illegal immigration

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 21, 2024 / 21:15 pm Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to shut down a Catholic nonprofit organization in El Paso based on allegations that the group may be facilitating illegal immigration, harboring immigrants who entered the country illegally, and engaging in human smuggling.  Paxton filed a lawsuit against the nonprofit Annunciation House, which has operated in the state for nearly 50 years. The lawsuit asks the District Court of El Paso…Continue Reading

The King of Kings

Cindy Paslawski We are at the end of the Church year. We began with Advent a year ago, commemorating the time awaiting the coming of the Christ and we are ending these weeks later with a vision of the future, a vision of Christ the King of the Universe on His throne before us all.…Continue Reading

7,000 Pro-Lifers March In London

By STEVEN ERTELT LONDON (LifeNews) — Over the weekend, some seven thousand pro-life people in the UK participated in the March for Life in London to protest abortion.They marched to Parliament Square on Saturday, September 2 under the banner of “Freedom to Live” and had to deal with a handful of radical abortion activists.During the…Continue Reading

An Appeal For Prayer For The Armenian People

By RAYMOND LEO CARDINAL BURKE (Editor’s Note: His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke on August 29, 2023, issued this prayer for the Armenian people, noting their unceasing love for Christ, even in the face of persecution.) + + On the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, having a few days ago celebrated the…Continue Reading

Robert Hickson, Founding Member Of Christendom College, Dies At 80

By MAIKE HICKSON FRONT ROYAL, Va. (LifeSiteNews) — Robert David Hickson, Jr., of Front Royal, Va., died at his home on September 2, 2023, at 21:29 p.m. after several months of suffering and after having received the Last Rites of the Catholic Church. He was surrounded by friends and family.Robert is survived by me —…Continue Reading

The Real Hero Of “Sound of Freedom”… Says The Film Has Strengthened The Fight Against Child Trafficking

By ANA PAULA MORALES (CNA) —Tim Ballard, a former U.S. Homeland Security agent who risked his life to fight child trafficking, discussed the impact of the movie Sound of Freedom, which is based on his work, in an August 29 interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. “I’ve spent more than 20 years helping…Continue Reading

Advertisement

Our Catholic Faith (Section B of print edition)

Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: This lesson on medical-moral issues is taken from the book Catholicism & Ethics. Please feel free to use the series for high schoolers or adults. We will continue to welcome your questions for the column as well. The email and postal addresses are given at the end of this column. Special Course On Catholicism And Ethics (Pages 53-59)…Continue Reading

Color Politics An Impediment To Faith

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK The USCCB is rightly concerned about racism, as they should be about any sin. In the 2018 statement Open Wide Our Hearts, they affirm the dignity of every human person: “But racism still profoundly affects our culture, and it has no place in the Christian heart. This evil causes great harm to its victims, and…Continue Reading

Trademarks Of The True Messiah

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this essay on September 2, and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + In Sunday’s Gospel the Lord firmly sets before us the need for the cross, not as an end in itself, but as the way to glory. Let’s consider the Gospel in three stages.First: The Pattern That…Continue Reading

A Beacon Of Light… The Holy Cross And Jesus’ Unconditional Love

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON Each year on September 14 the Church celebrates the Feast Day of the Exultation of the Holy Cross. The Feast Day of the Triumph of the Holy Cross commemorates the day St. Helen found the True Cross. It is fitting then, that today we should focus on the final moments of Jesus’ life on the…Continue Reading

Our Ways Must Become More Like God’s Ways

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Twenty-Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9Phil. 1:20c-24, 27aMatt. 20:1-16a In the first reading today, God tells us through the Prophet Isaiah that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. This should not come as a surprise to anyone, especially when we look at what the Lord…Continue Reading

The Devil And The Democrats

By FR. DENIS WILDE, OSA States such as Minnesota, California, Maryland, and others, in all cases with Democrat-controlled legislatures, are on a fast track to not only allow unborn babies to be murdered on demand as a woman’s “constitutional right” but also to allow infanticide.Our nation has gotten so used to the moral evil of killing in the womb that…Continue Reading

Crushed But Unbroken . . . The Martyrdom Of St. Margaret Clitherow

By RAY CAVANAUGH The late-1500s were a tough time for Catholics in England, where the Reformation was in full gear. A 1581 law prohibited Catholic religious ceremonies. And a 1584 Act of Parliament mandated that all Catholic priests leave the country or else face execution. Some chose to remain, however, so they could continue serving the faithful.Also taking huge risks…Continue Reading

Advertisement(2)