Solemn, Hosea 6:1-6, Psalms 51:18-21, Luke 18:9-14, Saint Frances of Rome , Oblates of St Frances of Rome, Agnus Dei, Catholic Catechism Part One Section 2 The Creeds Chapter 3:9:4 The Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. The Election of The Roman Catholic Pontiff (Pope): Code of Canon Law I:III Cardinals of the Holy Church
Good Day Bloggers! Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: Saturday in Lent
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Prayer For the Holy Election of Our New Pope
May the Lord preserve the sanctity of the enclave as they embark on electing our new Holy Father, give him life, and make him blessed upon earth, and deliver him not to the will of his enemies.
LET US PRAY:
O God, the Shepherd and Ruler of all the faithful, in Thy mercy look down upon Thy servant, (Our New Pope), whom Thou will appoint to preside over Thy Church, and grant we beseech Thee that both by word and example he may edify those who are under his charge; so that, with the flock entrusted to him, he may attain life everlasting. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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March 2, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you not to be of a hard heart. Do not shut your eyes to the warnings which the Heavenly Father sends to you out of love. Do you love Him above all else? Do you repent for having often forgotten that the Heavenly Father, out of His great love, sent His Son to redeem us by the Cross? Do you repent for not having accepted the message? My children, do not resist the love of my Son. Do not resist hope and peace. Along with your prayers and fasting, by His Cross, my Son will cast away the darkness that wants to surround you and come to rule over you. He will give you the strength for a new life. Living it according to my Son, you will be a blessing and a hope to all those sinners who wander in the darkness of sin. My children, keep vigil. I, as a mother, am keeping vigil with you. I am especially praying and watching over those whom my Son called to be light-bearers and carriers of hope for you – for your shepherds. Thank you.”
February 25, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. Sin is pulling you towards worldly things and I have come to lead you towards holiness and the things of God, but you are struggling and spending your energies in the battle with the good and the evil that are in you. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and your life will become a simple walk towards God. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. Sin is pulling you towards worldly things and I have come to lead you towards holiness and the things of God, but you are struggling and spending your energies in the battle with the good and the evil that are in you. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and your life will become a simple walk towards God. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
February 2, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
"Dear children, love is bringing me to you - the love which I desire to
teach you also - real love; the love which my Son showed you when He
died on the Cross out of love for you; the love which is always ready to
forgive and to ask for forgiveness. How great is your love? My motherly
heart is sorrowful as it searches for love in
your hearts. You are not ready to submit your will to God's will out of
love. You cannot help me to have those who have not come to know God's
love to come to know it, because you do not have real love. Consecrate
your hearts to me and I will lead you. I will teach you to forgive, to
love your enemies and to live according to my Son. Do not be afraid for
yourselves. In afflictions my Son does not forget those who love. I will
be beside you. I will implore the Heavenly Father for the light of
eternal truth and love to illuminate you. Pray for your shepherds so
that through your fasting and prayer they can lead you in love. Thank
you."
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Today's Word: solemn sol·emn [sol-uh
m]
Origin: 1275–1325; Middle English solem ( p ) ne (< Old French ) < Late Latin sōlennis, sōlempnis, Latin sōlemnis, variant of sollemnis consecrated, holy, derivative of sollus whole
adjective
1. grave, sober, or mirthless, as a person, the face, speech, tone, or mood: solemn remarks.
2. gravely or somberly impressive; causing serious thoughts or a grave mood: solemn music.
3. serious or earnest: solemn assurances.
4. characterized by dignified or serious formality, as proceedings; of a formal or ceremonious character: a solemn occasion.
5. made in due legal or other express form, as a declaration or agreement: a solemn oath.
6. marked or observed with religious rites; having a religious character: a solemn holy day.
7. uttered, prescribed, or made according to religious forms: a solemn ban on sacrifice.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 51:3-4, 18-21
3 For I am well aware of my offences, my sin is constantly in mind.
4 Against you, you alone, I have sinned, I have done what you see to be wrong, that you may show your saving justice when you pass sentence, and your victory may appear when you give judgement,
18 In your graciousness do good to Zion, rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in upright sacrifices,-burnt offerings and whole oblations -- and young bulls will be offered on your altar
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Today's Epistle - Hosea 6:1-6
1 Come, let us return to Yahweh. He has rent us and he will heal us; he has struck us and he will bind up our wounds;
2 after two days he will revive us, on the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his presence.
3 Let us know, let us strive to know Yahweh; that he will come is as certain as the dawn. He will come to us like a shower, like the rain of springtime to the earth.
4 What am I to do with you, Ephraim?
What am I to do with you, Judah? For your love is like morning mist,
like the dew that quickly disappears.
5 This is why I have hacked them to pieces by means of the prophets, why I have killed them with words from my mouth, why my sentence will blaze forth like the dawn-
6 for faithful love is what pleases me, not sacrifice; knowledge of God, not burnt offerings
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Today's Gospel Reading - Luke 18:9-14
Jesus spoke the following parable to
some people who prided themselves on being upright and despised everyone
else, 'Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other
a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to
himself, "I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous
like everyone else, and particularly that I am not like this tax
collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get." The
tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his
eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, "God, be merciful to
me, a sinner." This man, I tell you, went home again justified; the
other did not. For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, but
anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.'
Reflection
Reflection
• In today’s Gospel, Jesus, in order
to teach us to pray, tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax
collector. Jesus has a different way of seeing things. He saw something
positive in the tax collector, of whom everybody said: “He does not know
how to pray!” Jesus, through prayer, lived so united to the Father that
everything became an expression of prayer for him.
• The way of presenting the parable is very didactic. Luke gives a brief introduction which serves as the key for reading. Then Jesus tells the parable and at the end Jesus himself applies the parable to life.
• Luke 18, 9: The introduction. The parable is presented by the following phrase: “He spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being upright and despised everyone else!” This phrase is Luke’s. It refers to the time of Jesus. But it also refers to our own time. There are always persons and groups of persons who consider themselves upright and faithful and who despise others, considering them ignorant and unfaithful.
• Luke 18, 10-13: The Parable. Two men went up to the Temple to pray: one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. According to the opinion of people at that time, the tax collectors were not considered at all, and they could not address themselves to God because they were impure persons. In the parable, the Pharisee thanks God because he is better than others. His prayer is nothing other than a praise of himself, an exaltation of his good qualities and contempt for others and for the tax collector. The tax collector does not even raise his eyes, but he beats his breast and says: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” He places himself in his own place, that which belongs to him before God.
• Luke 18, 14: The application. If Jesus would have allowed people to express their opinion and say which of the two went home justified, all would have answered: “the Pharisee!” Because at that time, this was the common opinion. Jesus thinks in a different way. For him, the one who returns home justified, in a good relationship with God, is not the Pharisee, but rather the tax collector. Jesus turns all things upside down. It is certain that the religious authority of that time was not pleased with the application which he makes of the parable.
• Jesus prays. Luke informs us, especially, about the life of prayer of Jesus. He presents Jesus in constant prayer. The following is a list of texts of Luke’s Gospel, in which Jesus appears in prayer: Lk 2, 46-50; 3. 21; 4, 1-12; 4, 16; 5, 16; 6, 12; 9, 16.18.28; 10, 21; 11, 1; 22, 32; 22, 7-14; 22, 40-46; 23, 34; 23, 46; 24, 30). In reading Luke’s Gospel you can find other texts which speak about the prayer of Jesus. Jesus lived in contact with the Father. To do the will of the Father was the breathing of his life (Jn 5, 19). Jesus prayed very much and, insisted so that people and his disciples would do the same, because from the union with God springs truth and the person is able to discover and find self, in all reality and humility . In Jesus prayer was intimately bound to concrete facts of life and to the decisions which he had to take. In order to be faithful to the Father’s project, he sought to remain alone with Him in order to listen to Him. Jesus prayed the Psalms. He did it like any other pious Jew and he knew them by heart. Jesus even succeeded in composing his own Psalm. It is the Our Father. His whole life was permanent prayer: “By himself the Son can do nothing; he can do only what he sees the Father doing!” (Jn 5, 19.30). To him can be applied what the Psalm says: “All I can do is pray!” (Ps 109, 4).
Personal questions
• Looking into the mirror of this parable, am I like the Pharisee or like the tax collector?
• There are persons who say that they do not know how to pray, but they speak with God all the time. Do you know any persons like this?
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
• There are persons who say that they do not know how to pray, but they speak with God all the time. Do you know any persons like this?
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Saint Frances of Rome
Feast Day: March 9
Patron Saint: Benedictine oblates; automobile drivers
Attributes: n/a
Frances of Rome, Obl.S.B., (Italian: Santa Francesca Romana)
(1384 – March 9, 1440) is an Italian saint who was a wife, mother,
mystic, organizer of charitable services and a Benedictine oblate who
founded a religious community of oblates, who share a common life
without religious vows.
Frances was born in 1384 in Rome to a wealthy and aristocratic couple, Paolo Bussa and Iacobella dei Roffredeschi, in the up-and-coming district of Parione and christened in the nearby Church of St. Agnes on the famed Piazza Navona.[1] When she was eleven years old, she wanted to be a nun, but, at about the age of twelve, her parents forced her to marry Lorenzo Ponziani, commander of the papal
troops of Rome and member of an extremely wealthy family. Although the
marriage had been arranged, it was a happy one, lasting for forty years,
partly because Lorenzo admired his wife, and partly because he was
frequently away at war.Frances experienced many sorrows in the course of her marriage with Lorenzo. They lost two children to the plague. In their case, it sensitized them to the needs of the poor. The city of Rome was largely in ruins—wolves were known to enter the streets. During the wars between the pope in Rome and various anti-popes in the Great Schism of the Catholic Church, Lorenzo served the former. However, in his absence during a period of forced exile, much of his own property and possessions were destroyed. In the course of one occupation of Rome by Neapolitan forces in the early part of the century, he was wounded so severely that he never fully recovered, dying in 1436. Frances nursed him throughout the rest of his life.
According to one story, their son, Battista, was to be delivered as a hostage to the commander of the Neapolitan troops. Obeying this order on the command of her spiritual director, Frances brought the boy to the Campidoglio. On the way, she stopped in the Church of the Aracoeli located there and entrusted the life of her son to the Blessed Mother. When they arrived at the appointed site, the soldiers went to put her son on a horse to transport him off to captivity. The horse, however, refused to move, despite heavy whipping. The superstitious soldiers saw the hand of God in this and returned the boy to his mother.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "With her husband's consent St. Frances practiced continence, and advanced in a life of contemplation. Her visions often assumed the form of drama enacted for her by heavenly personages. She had the gift of miracles and ecstasy, as well as the bodily vision of her guardian angel, had revelations concerning Purgatory and Hell, and foretold the ending of the Western Schism. She could read the secrets of consciences and detect plots of diabolical origin. She was remarkable for her humility and detachment, her obedience and patience".[2]
Although a mystic, Frances was not oblivious to the civil chaos which ruled the city in that period of neglect by the pope and ongoing warfare between him and the various forces competing for power on the Italian peninsula. With her sister-in-law Vannozza, who shared her spiritual vision, as a companion, Frances prayed, visited the poor and took care of the sick, inspiring other wealthy women of the city to do the same. She turned part of the family's country estate into a hospital. On August 15, 1425, the feast of the Assumption of Mary, she founded the Olivetan Oblates of Mary, a confraternity of pious women, under the authority of the Olivetan monks of the Abbey of Santa Maria Nova in Rome, but neither cloistered nor bound by formal vows, so they could follow her pattern of combining a life of prayer with answering the needs of their society.[3]
In March 1433, she founded a monastery at Tor de' Specchi, near the Campidoglio, in order to allow for a common life by those members of the confraternity who felt so called. This monastery remains the only house of the Institute. On July 4 of that same year, they received the approval of Pope Eugene IV as a religious congregation of oblates with private religious vows. The community later became known simply as the Oblates of St. Frances of Rome.
Frances herself remained in her own home, nursing her husband for the last seven years of his life from wounds he had received in battle. When he died in 1436, she moved into the monastery and became the group's president. She died in 1440 and was buried in Santa Maria Nova.
Veneration
On May 9, 1608, she was canonized by Pope Paul V, and in the following decades a diligent search was made for her remains, which had been hidden due to the troubled times in which she lived. Her grave was identified on April 2, 1638, and her remains were reburied in the Church of Santa Maria Nova on March 9, 1649, which since then has been her feast day. Again, in 1869, her body was exhumed and has since then been displayed in a glass coffin for the veneration of the faithful. The Church of Santa Maria Nova is now usually referred to as the Church of St. Frances.In 1925, Pope Pius XI declared her the patron saint of automobile drivers because of a legend that an angel used to light the road before her with a lantern when she traveled, keeping her safe from hazards. Within the Benedictine Order, she is also honored as a patron saint of all oblates.
References
- ^ Life of St. Frances on the website of her monastery (Italian) [1]
- ^ "St. Frances of Rome". Catholic Encyclopedia.
- ^ Farmer, David Hugh (1997). The Oxford dictionary of saints (4. ed. ed.). Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford Univ. Press. pp. 191. ISBN 0-19-280058-2.
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Today's Snippet I: Oblates of St. Frances of Rome
The Oblates of St. Frances of Rome are a monastic community in Rome of women oblates founded by St. Frances of Rome
in 1425 to provide an outlet for a life of prayer and service among the
wealthier women of the city. The group quickly developed a life in
common, without monastic vows,
committed to prayer and service to the poor of the city. They still
continue today in this way of life here at their one and only monastery.
St. Frances (1378-1440) was a native and noblewoman of the city who had wanted to be a nun when she was a child. Nevertheless, her parents forced her into marriage with a wealthy and aristocratic member of the papal military forces. Despite their privileged position, the couple were not spared personal suffering, losing two young children to the various plagues which afflicted the city at that time. This was due, in large part, to the neglect it suffered during the period of the Great Schism within the Roman Catholic Church, as three separate cardinals established themselves as the legitimate pope, two of whom were based in France. This tied up most of Western Europe in years of military conflict among the competing parties.
Through their losses, Frances became aware of the suffering of the general populace in the city. Already a pious and devout wife, she recruited other noble wives to join in caring for the poor and the sick. She and her sister-in-law would frequent the various hospitals of Rome, nursing the sick and distributing food to the hungry. Gradually, her longheld desire for monastic life developed into a desire to unite this with the service of the poor. Finally in 1425 she decided that she would henceforth live in celibacy, receiving the consent she needed from her husband for this step.
On August 15th, she and nine companions made monastic oblation to the Olivetan Monastery attached to the Church of Santa Maria Nuova. They did not cease to live with their families, and the other wives were not required to embrace celibacy the way Frances had done, but they did become a formal group, committed to both the contemplative life and a life of charity. Frances herself continued to live with her husband till his death in 1436.[1]
This new religious congregation was formally established on March 25th, 1433, the Feast of the Annunciation. Through a mystical vision, St. Frances was inspired to have St. Paul, St. Benedict and St. Mary Magdalen as the patron saints of the new community. They continued to live without vows, but otherwise lived a typical monastic life of prayer and manual labor. The monastery received papal approval on July 4th of that same year. Thus they formed an innovative form of religious life for the period, neither cloistered nuns nor laity. St. Frances joined them upon the death of her husband in 1436, becoming the president of the community, a post she held till her death four years later.
The community still lives in this basic pattern established at their founding. They follow a basic monastic routine and offer a ministry of hospitality in the heart of the City of Rome. Instead of the standard three vows, they promise obedience to the president of the community, and not to depart, should they chose to do so, in a way which might disrupt the lives of the community. The Oblates were not formally recognized as religious sisters, however, until a special decree of Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1958, by which he commanded that the form of commitment taken by the Oblates was to be acknowledged as canonical vows.[2]
Lamb bleeding into the Holy Chalice, carrying the vexillum.
The title Lamb of God (in Latin Agnus Dei) appears in the Gospel of John, with the exclamation of John the Baptist: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" in John 1:29 when he sees Jesus.[1]
Although in Christian teachings, Lamb of God refers to Jesus Christ in his role of the perfect sacrificial offering, specific Christological arguments dissociate it from the Old Testament concept of a "scapegoat" which is subjected to punishment for the sins of others, without knowing it or willing it. These teachings emphasize that Jesus chose to suffer at Calvary as a sign of his full obedience to the will of his Father, as an "agent and servant of God".[2][3] The Lamb of God is thus related to the Paschal Lamb of Passover, which is viewed as foundational and integral to the message of Christianity.[4][5]
A lion-like lamb which rises to deliver victory after being slain appears several times in the Book of Revelation.[6] Although also indirectly referred to in Pauline writings, nothing in the context of 1 Corinthians 5:7 directly implies that in that specific passage Saint Paul refers the death of Jesus using the same theme as in Johannine writings.[7]
The Lamb of God title has found widespread use in Christian prayers and the Agnus Dei is used both a standard part of the Catholic Mass, with other uses in liturgy and as a form of contemplative prayer.[8][9] The Agnus Dei also forms part of musical settings of the Mass.
These two proclamations of Jesus as the Lamb of God closely bracket the Baptist's other proclamation in John 1:34: "I have borne witness that this is the Son of God". From a Christological perspective, these proclamations and the descent of the Holy Spirit as a dove in John 1:32 reinforce each other to establish the divine element of the Person of Christ.[1] In Johannine Christology the proclamation "who takes away the sin of the world" begins the unfolding of the salvific theme of the redemptive and sacrificial death of Jesus followed by his resurrection which is built upon in other proclamations such as "this is indeed the Saviour of the world" uttered by the Samaritans in John 4:42.[11][12]
In Revelation 21:14 the lamb is said to have twelve apostles.[6] The handing of the scroll (i.e. the book containing the names of those who will be saved) to the risen lamb signifies the change in the role of the lamb. In Calvary, the lamb submitted to the will of the Father to be slain, but now is trusted with the judgment of mankind.[14]
From the outset, the book of Revelation is presented as a "revelation of Jesus Christ" and hence the focus on the lamb as both redeemer and judge presents the dual role of Jesus: he redeems man through self-sacrifice, yet calls man to account on the day of judgment.[15]
Medieval Agnus Dei with halo and cross; Euphrasian Basilica, Poreč, Croatia.
The concept of the Lamb of God fits well within John's "agent Christology" in which sacrifice is made as an agent of God or servant of God, for the sake of eventual victory.[3][16]
The theme of a sacrificial lamb which rises in victory as the Resurrected Christ was employed in early Christology, e.g. in 375 Saint Augustine wrote: "Why a lamb in his passion? Because he underwent death without being guilty of any iniquity. Why a lion in his passion? Because in being slain, he slew death. Why a lamb in his resurrection? Because his innocence is everlasting. Why a lion in his resurrection? Because everlasting also is his might."[17]
The 11th century Christology of Saint Anselm of Canterbury specifically disassociates Lamb of God from the Old Testament concept of an Scape goat which is subjected to punishment for the sins of others, without knowing it or willing it.[2] Anselm emphasized that as Lamb of God Jesus chose to suffer in Calvary as a sign of his full obedience to the will of the Father.[2]
John Calvin presented the same Christological view of "The Lamb as the agent of God" by arguing that in his trial before Pilate and while at Herod's Court Jesus could have argued for his innocence, but instead remained mostly quiet and submitted to Crucifixion in obedience to the Father, for he knew his role as the Lamb of God.[18][19]
In modern Eastern Orthodox Christology, Sergei Bulgakov argued that the role of Jesus as the Lamb of God was "pre-eternally" determined by the Father before the creation of the world, as a sign of love by considering the scenario that it would be necessary to send The Son as an agent to redeem humanity disgraced by the fall of Adam.[20]
Multiple hypotheses about the suitable symbolism for the Lamb of God have been offered, within various Christological frameworks, ranging from the interpretation of Old Testament references to those of the Book of Revelation.[21] One view suggests the symbolism of Leviticus 16 as Scapegoat, coupled with Romans 3:21-25 for atonement , while another view draws parallels with the Paschal Lamb in Exodus 12:1-4, coupled with John 1:29-36, and yet another symbolism relies on Revelation 5:5-14 in which the lamb is viewed as a lion who destroys evil.[22][21] However, as above Saint Anselm and John Calvin's view reject the Scapegoat symbolism for they view Jesus as making a knowing sacrifice as an agent of God, unlike an unwitting Scapegoat.[2][18][19]
In modern Roman Catholic Christology, Karl Rahner has continued to elaborate on the analogy that the blood of the Lamb of God, and the water flowing from the side of Christ on Calvary had a cleansing nature, similar to baptismal water. In this analogy, the blood of the Lamb washed away the sins of humanity in a new baptism, redeeming it from the fall of Adam.[23]
Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, with gushing blood, detail of the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan Van Eyck.
In Christian iconography, an Agnus Dei is a visual representation of Jesus as a lamb, since the Middle Ages usually holding a standard or banner with a cross.
This normally rests on the lamb's shoulder and is held in its right
foreleg. Often the cross will have a white banner suspended from it
charged with a red cross (similar to St George's Cross), though the cross may also be rendered in different colors. Sometimes the lamb is shown lying atop a book with seven seals hanging from it. This is a reference to the imagery in the Book of Revelation 5:1-13, ff. Occasionally, the lamb may be depicted bleeding from the area of the heart (Cf. Revelation 5:6), symbolizing Jesus' shedding of his blood to take away the sins of the world (Cf. John 1:29, 1:36).
In Early Christian art the symbol appears very early on. Several mosaics in churches include it, some showing a row of twelve sheep representing the apostles flanking the central Agnus Dei, as in Santi Cosma e Damiano, Rome (526-30).
The Moravian Church uses an Agnus Dei as their seal with the surrounding inscription Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur ("Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow him.").
Although the depiction of Jesus as the Lamb of God is of ancient origin, it is not used in the liturgical iconography of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The reason for this is that the depictions of Jesus in the Orthodox Church are anthropomorphic rather than symbolic, as a confession of the Orthodox belief in the Incarnation of the Logos. However, there is no objection to the application of the term "Lamb of God" to Jesus. In fact, the Host used in the Orthodox Divine Liturgy is referred to as the Lamb (Greek: άμνος, amnos; Slavonic: Агнецъ, agnets).
St. Frances (1378-1440) was a native and noblewoman of the city who had wanted to be a nun when she was a child. Nevertheless, her parents forced her into marriage with a wealthy and aristocratic member of the papal military forces. Despite their privileged position, the couple were not spared personal suffering, losing two young children to the various plagues which afflicted the city at that time. This was due, in large part, to the neglect it suffered during the period of the Great Schism within the Roman Catholic Church, as three separate cardinals established themselves as the legitimate pope, two of whom were based in France. This tied up most of Western Europe in years of military conflict among the competing parties.
Through their losses, Frances became aware of the suffering of the general populace in the city. Already a pious and devout wife, she recruited other noble wives to join in caring for the poor and the sick. She and her sister-in-law would frequent the various hospitals of Rome, nursing the sick and distributing food to the hungry. Gradually, her longheld desire for monastic life developed into a desire to unite this with the service of the poor. Finally in 1425 she decided that she would henceforth live in celibacy, receiving the consent she needed from her husband for this step.
On August 15th, she and nine companions made monastic oblation to the Olivetan Monastery attached to the Church of Santa Maria Nuova. They did not cease to live with their families, and the other wives were not required to embrace celibacy the way Frances had done, but they did become a formal group, committed to both the contemplative life and a life of charity. Frances herself continued to live with her husband till his death in 1436.[1]
Monastery of Tor de' Specchi
Within a few years some of the women desired to live a life in common, where they could more easily practice spiritual exercises and be freer to commit themselves to the poor. This was already widespread in Rome for men and women who belonged to the Third Order of St. Francis and other new spiritual movements. To answer this need, Frances acquired a house near the Campidoglio, next to the Church of San Andrea dei Funari. This stood in the shade of the fortified tower built by the Specchi family, from which the name of the house comes (Italian: Torre degli Specchi). Those among the oblates so inclined could live a common life there, according to their Benedictine spirituality. Those who did enter this community, however, were not to be bound by monastic vows, as nuns would be. In this way, they would be free to pursue their service to the poor out in the streets and hospitals of the city.This new religious congregation was formally established on March 25th, 1433, the Feast of the Annunciation. Through a mystical vision, St. Frances was inspired to have St. Paul, St. Benedict and St. Mary Magdalen as the patron saints of the new community. They continued to live without vows, but otherwise lived a typical monastic life of prayer and manual labor. The monastery received papal approval on July 4th of that same year. Thus they formed an innovative form of religious life for the period, neither cloistered nuns nor laity. St. Frances joined them upon the death of her husband in 1436, becoming the president of the community, a post she held till her death four years later.
The community still lives in this basic pattern established at their founding. They follow a basic monastic routine and offer a ministry of hospitality in the heart of the City of Rome. Instead of the standard three vows, they promise obedience to the president of the community, and not to depart, should they chose to do so, in a way which might disrupt the lives of the community. The Oblates were not formally recognized as religious sisters, however, until a special decree of Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1958, by which he commanded that the form of commitment taken by the Oblates was to be acknowledged as canonical vows.[2]
The Agnus Dei
By special privilege, the Sisters of Tor de' Specchi are the only ones permitted to create an item of special papal significance. It is a small wax image of Christ as the Lamb of God (Latin: Agnus Dei). This is presented by the pope as a token of honor to those whom the Holy See wishes to recognize as having given notable service to the Church. They are blessed during Holy Week and distributed at Easter.References
- ^ The Oblates of St. Frances of Rome "Her Life" [1]
- ^ The Oblates' website "History of the Monastery" [2]
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Today's Snippet I: Agnus Dei
Although in Christian teachings, Lamb of God refers to Jesus Christ in his role of the perfect sacrificial offering, specific Christological arguments dissociate it from the Old Testament concept of a "scapegoat" which is subjected to punishment for the sins of others, without knowing it or willing it. These teachings emphasize that Jesus chose to suffer at Calvary as a sign of his full obedience to the will of his Father, as an "agent and servant of God".[2][3] The Lamb of God is thus related to the Paschal Lamb of Passover, which is viewed as foundational and integral to the message of Christianity.[4][5]
A lion-like lamb which rises to deliver victory after being slain appears several times in the Book of Revelation.[6] Although also indirectly referred to in Pauline writings, nothing in the context of 1 Corinthians 5:7 directly implies that in that specific passage Saint Paul refers the death of Jesus using the same theme as in Johannine writings.[7]
The Lamb of God title has found widespread use in Christian prayers and the Agnus Dei is used both a standard part of the Catholic Mass, with other uses in liturgy and as a form of contemplative prayer.[8][9] The Agnus Dei also forms part of musical settings of the Mass.
Gospel of John
The title Lamb of God for Jesus appears only in the Gospel of John, with the initial proclamation: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" in John 1:29, the title reaffirmed the next day in John 1:36.[1] The second use of the title Lamb of God takes place in the presence of the first two apostles of Jesus, who immediately follow him, address him as Rabbi with respect and later in the narrative bring others to meet him.[10]These two proclamations of Jesus as the Lamb of God closely bracket the Baptist's other proclamation in John 1:34: "I have borne witness that this is the Son of God". From a Christological perspective, these proclamations and the descent of the Holy Spirit as a dove in John 1:32 reinforce each other to establish the divine element of the Person of Christ.[1] In Johannine Christology the proclamation "who takes away the sin of the world" begins the unfolding of the salvific theme of the redemptive and sacrificial death of Jesus followed by his resurrection which is built upon in other proclamations such as "this is indeed the Saviour of the world" uttered by the Samaritans in John 4:42.[11][12]
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation includes over twenty references to a lion-like lamb ("slain but standing") which delivers victory in a manner reminiscent of the resurrected Christ.[6] In the first appearance of the lamb in Revelation (5:1-7) only the lamb (which is of the tribe of Judah, and the root of David) is found worthy to take the judgment scroll from God and break the seals.[6] The reference to the lamb in Revelation 5:6 relates it to the Seven Spirits of God which first appear in Revelation 1:4 and are associated with Jesus who holds them along with seven stars.[13]In Revelation 21:14 the lamb is said to have twelve apostles.[6] The handing of the scroll (i.e. the book containing the names of those who will be saved) to the risen lamb signifies the change in the role of the lamb. In Calvary, the lamb submitted to the will of the Father to be slain, but now is trusted with the judgment of mankind.[14]
From the outset, the book of Revelation is presented as a "revelation of Jesus Christ" and hence the focus on the lamb as both redeemer and judge presents the dual role of Jesus: he redeems man through self-sacrifice, yet calls man to account on the day of judgment.[15]
Christology
The theme of a sacrificial lamb which rises in victory as the Resurrected Christ was employed in early Christology, e.g. in 375 Saint Augustine wrote: "Why a lamb in his passion? Because he underwent death without being guilty of any iniquity. Why a lion in his passion? Because in being slain, he slew death. Why a lamb in his resurrection? Because his innocence is everlasting. Why a lion in his resurrection? Because everlasting also is his might."[17]
The 11th century Christology of Saint Anselm of Canterbury specifically disassociates Lamb of God from the Old Testament concept of an Scape goat which is subjected to punishment for the sins of others, without knowing it or willing it.[2] Anselm emphasized that as Lamb of God Jesus chose to suffer in Calvary as a sign of his full obedience to the will of the Father.[2]
John Calvin presented the same Christological view of "The Lamb as the agent of God" by arguing that in his trial before Pilate and while at Herod's Court Jesus could have argued for his innocence, but instead remained mostly quiet and submitted to Crucifixion in obedience to the Father, for he knew his role as the Lamb of God.[18][19]
In modern Eastern Orthodox Christology, Sergei Bulgakov argued that the role of Jesus as the Lamb of God was "pre-eternally" determined by the Father before the creation of the world, as a sign of love by considering the scenario that it would be necessary to send The Son as an agent to redeem humanity disgraced by the fall of Adam.[20]
Multiple hypotheses about the suitable symbolism for the Lamb of God have been offered, within various Christological frameworks, ranging from the interpretation of Old Testament references to those of the Book of Revelation.[21] One view suggests the symbolism of Leviticus 16 as Scapegoat, coupled with Romans 3:21-25 for atonement , while another view draws parallels with the Paschal Lamb in Exodus 12:1-4, coupled with John 1:29-36, and yet another symbolism relies on Revelation 5:5-14 in which the lamb is viewed as a lion who destroys evil.[22][21] However, as above Saint Anselm and John Calvin's view reject the Scapegoat symbolism for they view Jesus as making a knowing sacrifice as an agent of God, unlike an unwitting Scapegoat.[2][18][19]
In modern Roman Catholic Christology, Karl Rahner has continued to elaborate on the analogy that the blood of the Lamb of God, and the water flowing from the side of Christ on Calvary had a cleansing nature, similar to baptismal water. In this analogy, the blood of the Lamb washed away the sins of humanity in a new baptism, redeeming it from the fall of Adam.[23]
Liturgy and music
In the Mass of the Roman Rite and also in the Eucharist of the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church, and the Western Rite of the Orthodox Church the Agnus Dei is the invocation to the Lamb of God sung or recited during the fraction of the Host. It is said to have been introduced into the Mass by Pope Sergius I (687–701). Agnus Dei has been set to music by many composers, usually as part of a Mass setting.Art
In Early Christian art the symbol appears very early on. Several mosaics in churches include it, some showing a row of twelve sheep representing the apostles flanking the central Agnus Dei, as in Santi Cosma e Damiano, Rome (526-30).
The Moravian Church uses an Agnus Dei as their seal with the surrounding inscription Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur ("Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow him.").
Although the depiction of Jesus as the Lamb of God is of ancient origin, it is not used in the liturgical iconography of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The reason for this is that the depictions of Jesus in the Orthodox Church are anthropomorphic rather than symbolic, as a confession of the Orthodox belief in the Incarnation of the Logos. However, there is no objection to the application of the term "Lamb of God" to Jesus. In fact, the Host used in the Orthodox Divine Liturgy is referred to as the Lamb (Greek: άμνος, amnos; Slavonic: Агнецъ, agnets).
Catholic sacramental
In the Roman Catholic Church, an Agnus Dei is a disc of wax stamped with a representation of Jesus as a lamb bearing a cross and blessed by the Pope as a sacramental.[28]Reference
- ^ The Lamb of God by Sergei Bulgakov 2008 ISBN 0-8028-2779-9 page 263
- ^ The Christology of Anselm of Canterbury by Dániel Deme 2004 ISBN 0-7546-3779-4 pages 199-200
- ^ The Christology of the New Testament by Oscar Cullmann 1959 ISBN 0-664-24351-7 page 79
- ^ Karl Gerlach (1998). "The Antenicene Pascha: A Rhetorical History". Peeters Publishers. p. 21. "Long before this controversy, Ex 12 as a story of origins and its ritual expression had been firmly fixed in the Christian imagination. Though before the final decades of the second century only accessible as an exegetical tradition, already in the Paulin letters the Exodus saga is deeply involved with the celebration of bath and meal. Even here, this relationship does not suddenly appear, but represents developments in ritual narrative that mus have begun at the very inception of the Christian message. Jesus of Nazareth was crucifed during Pesach-Mazzot, an event that a new covenant people of Jews and Gentiles both saw as definitive and defining. Ex 12 is thus one of the few reliable guides for tracing the synergism among ritual, text, and kerygma before the Council of Nicaea."
- ^ Matthias Reinhard Hoffmann (2005). "The Destroyer and the Lamb: The Relationship Between Angelomorphic and Lamb Christology in the Book of Revelation". Mohr Siebeck. p. 117. ISBN 3-16-148778-8. "1.2.2. Christ as the Passover Lamb from Exodus A number of features throughout Revelation seem to correspond to Exodus 12: The connection of Lamb and Passover, a salvific effect of the Lamb's blood and the punishment of God's (and His people's) opponents from Exodus 12 may possibly be reflected within the settings of the Apocalypse. The concept of Christ as a Passover lamb is generally not unknown in NT or early Christian literature, as can for instance be seen in 1 Corinthians 5:7, 1 Peter 1:19 or Justin Martyr's writing (Dial. 111:3). In the Gospel of John, especially, this connection between Christ and Passover is made very explicit."
- ^ Reclaiming the book of Revelation: by Wilfried E. Glabach 2007 ISBN 1-4331-0054-1 pages
- ^ 1 Corinthians by David J. Lull, William A. Beardslee 2007 ISBN 0-8272-0530-9 page 41
- ^ Holy Conversation: Spirituality for Worship by Jonathan Linman 2010 ISBN 0-8006-2130-1 page 148
- ^ Prayer Book Parallels: The Public Services of the Church by Paul Victor Marshall 1990 ISBN 0-89869-181-8 page 369
- ^ The Life and Ministry of Jesus by Douglas Redford 2007 ISBN 0-7847-1900-4 pages 100-101
- ^ Johannine Christology and the Early Church by T. E. Pollard 2005 ISBN 0-521-01868-4 page 21
- ^ Studies in Early Christology by Martin Hengel 2004 ISBN 0-567-04280-4 page 371
- ^ New Testament Theology by Thomas R. Schreiner 2008 Baker Academic ISBN 0-8010-2680-6 page 502
- ^ Studies in Revelation by M. R. De Haan, Martin Ralph DeHaan 1998 ISBN 0-8254-2485-2 page 103
- ^ Revelation by Ben Witherington ISBN 20030521000688 page 27
- ^ The Johannine exegesis of God by Daniel Rathnakara Sadananda 2005 ISBN 3-11-018248-3 page 281
- ^ Revelation by William C. Weinrich 2005 ISBN 0-8308-1497-3 page 73
- ^The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures by Hughes Oliphant Old 2002 ISBN 0-8028-4775-7 page 125
- ^ Calvin's Christology by Stephen Edmondson 2004 ISBN 0-521-54154-9 page 91
- ^ The Lamb of God by Sergei Bulgakov 2008 ISBN 0-8028-2779-9 page 129
- ^ Symbols of Jesus: A Christology of Symbolic Engagement by Robert C. Neville (Feb 4, 2002) Cambridge Univ Pres ISBN 0521003539 page 13
- ^ The Lion and the Lamb by Andreas J. Kostenberger, L. Scott Kellum and Charles L Quarles (Jul 15, 2012) ISBN 1433677083 page 114
- ^ Encyclopedia of theology: a concise Sacramentum mundi by Karl Rahner 2004 ISBN 0-86012-006-6 page 74
- ^ See "Agnus Dei (in Liturgy)" article from The Catholic Encyclopedia
- ^ Lives of Orthodox Western Saints by Reader Daniel Lieuwen (St Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney TX)
- ^ The Harvard dictionary of music by Don Michael Randel 2003 ISBN 0-674-01163-5 page 28
- ^ The earliest settings of the Agnus Dei and its tropes by Charles Mercer Atkinson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1975 page 14
- ^ See "Agnus Dei" article from The Catholic Encyclopedia
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part One: Profession of Faith, Sect 2 The Creeds, Ch 3:9:4
CHAPTER THREE
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Article 9
"I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC
CHURCH"
Paragraph 4. CHRIST'S FAITHFUL - HIERARCHY, LAITY,
CONSECRATED LIFE
871
"The Christian faithful are those who, inasmuch as they have been
incorporated in Christ through Baptism, have been constituted as the people of
God; for this reason, since they have become sharers in Christ's priestly,
prophetic, and royal office in their own manner, they are called to exercise
the mission which God has entrusted to the Church to fulfill in the world, in
accord with the condition proper to each one."CIC, Can. 204 para 1; Cf. LG 31
872
"In virtue of their rebirth in Christ there exists among all the Christian
faithful a true equality with regard to dignity and the activity whereby all
cooperate in the building up of the Body of Christ in accord with each one's
own condition and function."CIC, Can. 208; Cf. LG 32
873
The very differences which the Lord has willed to put between the members of
his body serve its unity and mission. For "in the Church there is
diversity of ministry but unity of mission. To the apostles and their
successors Christ has entrusted the office of teaching, sanctifying and
governing in his name and by his power. But the laity are made to share in the
priestly, prophetical, and kingly office of Christ; they have therefore, in the
Church and in the world, their own assignment in the mission of the whole
People of God."AA 2 Finally, "from both groups [hierarchy and
laity] there exist Christian faithful who are consecrated to God in their own
special manner and serve the salvific mission of the Church through the profession
of the evangelical counsels."CIC, Can. 207 # 2
I. THE
HIERARCHICAL CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH
Why the
ecclesial ministry?
874
Christ is himself the source of ministry in the Church. He instituted the
Church. He gave her authority and mission, orientation and goal:
In order to shepherd the
People of God and to increase its numbers without cease, Christ the Lord set up
in his Church a variety of offices which aim at the good of the whole body. the
holders of office, who are invested with a sacred power, are, in fact,
dedicated to promoting the interests of their brethren, so that all who belong
to the People of God . . . may attain to salvation.LG 18
875
"How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? and how are
they to hear without a preacher? and how can men preach unless they are
sent?"Rom 10:14:15 No one - no individual and no community - can proclaim
the Gospel to himself: "Faith comes from what is heard."Rom 10:17
No one can give himself the mandate and the mission to proclaim the Gospel. the
one sent by the Lord does not speak and act on his own authority, but by virtue
of Christ's authority; not as a member of the community, but speaking to it in
the name of Christ. No one can bestow grace on himself; it must be given and
offered. This fact presupposes ministers of grace, authorized and empowered by
Christ. From him, they receive the mission and faculty ("the sacred
power") to act in persona Christi Capitis. the ministry in which Christ's
emissaries do and give by God's grace what they cannot do and give by their own
powers, is called a "sacrament" by the Church's tradition. Indeed,
the ministry of the Church is conferred by a special sacrament.
876
Intrinsically linked to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry is its
character as service. Entirely dependent on Christ who gives mission and
authority, ministers are truly "slaves of Christ,"Cf. ⇒ Rom 1:1 in the
image of him who freely took "the form of a slave" for us.Phil 2:7
Because the word and grace of which they are ministers are not their own, but
are given to them by Christ for the sake of others, they must freely become the
slaves of all.1 Cor 9:19
877
Likewise, it belongs to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry that it
have a collegial character. In fact, from the beginning of his ministry, the
Lord Jesus instituted the Twelve as "the seeds of the new Israel and the
beginning of the sacred hierarchy."AG 5 Chosen together, they were
also sent out together, and their fraternal unity would be at the service of
the fraternal communion of all the faithful: they would reflect and witness to
the communion of the divine persons.Jn 17:21-23 For this reason every bishop
exercises his ministry from within the episcopal college, in communion with the
bishop of Rome, the successor of St. Peter and head of the college. So also
priests exercise their ministry from within the presbyterium of the diocese,
under the direction of their bishop.
878
Finally, it belongs to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry that it
have a personal character. Although Chnst's ministers act in communion with one
another, they also always act in a personal way. Each one is called personally:
"You, follow me"Jn 21:22 in order to be a personal witness within
the common mission, to bear personal responsibility before him who gives the
mission, acting "in his person" and for other persons: "I
baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
..."; "I absolve you...."
879
Sacramental ministry in the Church, then, is at once a collegial and a personal
service, exercised in the name of Christ. This is evidenced by the bonds
between the episcopal college and its head, the successor of St. Peter, and in
the relationship between the bishop's pastoral responsibility for his
particular church and the common solicitude of the episcopal college for the
universal Church.
The episcopal
college and its head, the Pope
880
When Christ instituted the Twelve, "he constituted [them] in the form of a
college or permanent assembly, at the head of which he placed Peter, chosen
from among them."LG 19 Just as "by the Lord's institution, St.
Peter and the rest of the apostles constitute a single apostolic college, so in
like fashion the Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, and the bishops, the
successors of the apostles, are related with and united to one
another."LG 22
881
The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the "rock" of his
Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the
whole flock.Mt 16:18-19 "The office of binding and loosing which was given
to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its
head."LG 22 This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles
belongs to the Church's very foundation and is continued by the bishops under
the primacy of the Pope.
882
The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and
visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole
company of the faithful."LG 23 "For the Roman Pontiff, by
reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has
full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can
always exercise unhindered."LG 22
883
"The college or body of bishops has no authority unless united with the
Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, as its head." As such, this college has
"supreme and full authority over the universal Church; but this power
cannot be exercised without the agreement of the Roman
Pontiff."CIC, can. 337
884
"The college of bishops exercises power over the universal Church in a
solemn manner in an ecumenical council."LG 22 But "there never
is an ecumenical council which is not confirmed or at least recognized as such
by Peter's successor."LG 22
885
"This college, in so far as it is composed of many members, is the
expression of the variety and universality of the People of God; and of the
unity of the flock of Christ, in so far as it is assembled under one
head."LG 22
886
"The individual bishops are the visible source and foundation of unity in
their own particular Churches."LG 23 As such, they "exercise
their pastoral office over the portion of the People of God assigned to
them,"LG 23 assisted by priests and deacons. But, as a member of the
episcopal college, each bishop shares in the concern for all the
Churches.Cf. CD 3 The bishops exercise this care first "by ruling well
their own Churches as portions of the universal Church," and so
contributing "to the welfare of the whole Mystical Body, which, from
another point of view, is a corporate body of Churches."LG 23 They
extend it especially to the poor,Gal 2:10 to those persecuted for the faith,
as well as to missionaries who are working throughout the world.
887
Neighboring particular Churches who share the same culture form ecclesiastical
provinces or larger groupings called patriarchates or regions.Apostolic Constitutions 34 The
bishops of these groupings can meet in synods or provincial councils. "In
a like fashion, the episcopal conferences at the present time are in a position
to contribute in many and fruitful ways to the concrete realization of the
collegiate spirit."LG 23 # 3
The
teaching office
888
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.Mk 16:15 They are "heralds of faith, who draw new disciples to
Christ; they are authentic teachers" of the apostolic faith "endowed
with the authority of Christ."LG 25
889
In order to preserve the Church in the purity of the faith handed on by the
apostles, Christ who is the Truth willed to confer on her a share in his own
infallibility. By a "supernatural sense of faith" the People of God,
under the guidance of the Church's living Magisterium, "unfailingly
adheres to this faith."LG 12; cf. DV 10
890
The mission of the Magisterium is linked to the definitive nature of the
covenant established by God with his people in Christ. It is this Magisterium's
task to preserve God's people from deviations and defections and to guarantee
them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error.
Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the
People of God abides in the truth that liberates. To fulfill this service,
Christ endowed the Church's shepherds with the charism of infallibility in
matters of faith and morals. the exercise of this charism takes several forms:
891
"The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this
infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of
all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a
definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals.... the infallibility
promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together
with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium," above all
in an Ecumenical Council.LG 25;
cf. Vatican Council I: DS 3074 When the Church through its supreme
Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for belief as being divinely
revealed,"DV 10 # 2 and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions
"must be adhered to with the obedience of faith."LG 25 # 2 This
infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation
itself.Cf. LG 25
892
Divine assistance is also given to the successors of the apostles, teaching in
communion with the successor of Peter, and, in a particular way, to the bishop
of Rome, pastor of the whole Church, when, without arriving at an infallible
definition and without pronouncing in a "definitive manner," they
propose in the exercise of the ordinary Magisterium a teaching that leads to
better understanding of Revelation in matters of faith and morals. To this
ordinary teaching the faithful "are to adhere to it with religious
assent"LG 25 which, though distinct from the assent of faith, is
nonetheless an extension of it.
The
sanctifying office
893
The bishop is "the steward of the grace of the supreme
priesthood,"LG 26 especially in the Eucharist which he offers
personally or whose offering he assures through the priests, his co-workers.
the Eucharist is the center of the life of the particular Church. the bishop
and priests sanctify the Church by their prayer and work, by their ministry of
the word and of the sacraments. They sanctify her by their example, "not
as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the
flock."1 Pet 5:3 Thus, "together with the flock entrusted to them,
they may attain to eternal life."LG 26 # 3
The
governing office
894
"The bishops, as vicars and legates of Christ, govern the particular
Churches assigned to them by their counsels, exhortations, and example, but
over and above that also by the authority and sacred power" which indeed
they ought to exercise so as to edify, in the spirit of service which is that
of their Master.Lk 22:26-27
895
"The power which they exercise personally in the name of Christ, is
proper, ordinary, and immediate, although its exercise is ultimately controlled
by the supreme authority of the Church."LG 27 But the bishops should
not be thought of as vicars of the Pope. His ordinary and immediate authority
over the whole Church does not annul, but on the contrary confirms and defends
that of the bishops. Their authority must be exercised in communion with the
whole Church under the guidance of the Pope.
896
The Good Shepherd ought to be the model and "form" of the bishop's
pastoral office. Conscious of his own weaknesses, "the bishop . . . can
have compassion for those who are ignorant and erring. He should not refuse to
listen to his subjects whose welfare he promotes as of his very own
children.... the faithful ... should be closely attached to the bishop as the
Church is to Jesus Christ, and as Jesus Christ is to the
Father":LG 27 # 2
Let all follow the bishop, as
Jesus Christ follows his Father, and the college of presbyters as the apostles;
respect the deacons as you do God's law. Let no one do anything concerning the
Church in separation from the bishop.St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Smyrn. 8, 1: Apostolic Fathers, II/2,
309
II. THE LAY
FAITHFUL
897
"The term 'laity' is here understood to mean all the faithful except those
in Holy Orders and those who belong to a religious state approved by the
Church. That is, the faithful, who by Baptism are incorporated into Christ and
integrated into the People of God, are made sharers in their particular way in
the priestly, prophetic, and kingly office of Christ, and have their own part
to play in the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the
World."LG 31
The
vocation of lay people
898
"By reason of their special vocation it belongs to the laity to seek the
kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to
God's will.... It pertains to them in a special way so to illuminate and order
all temporal things with which they are closely associated that these may
always be effected and grow according to Christ and maybe to the glory of the
Creator and Redeemer."LG 31 # 2
899
The initiative of lay Christians is necessary especially when the matter
involves discovering or inventing the means for permeating social, political, and
economic realities with the demands of Christian doctrine and life. This
initiative is a normal element of the life of the Church:
Lay believers are in the front line of Church life; for them the Church
is the animating principle of human society. Therefore, they in particular
ought to have an ever-clearer consciousness not only of belonging to the
Church, but of being the Church, that is to say, the community of the faithful
on earth under the leadership of the Pope, the common Head, and of the bishops
in communion with him. They are the Church.Pius XII, Discourse, February 20, 1946: AAS 38 (1946) 149; quoted
by
John Paul II, CL 9
John Paul II, CL 9
900
Since, like all the faithful, lay Christians are entrusted by God with the
apostolate by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation, they have the right and
duty, individually or grouped in associations, to work so that the divine
message of salvation may be known and accepted by all men throughout the earth.
This duty is the more pressing when it is only through them that men can hear
the Gospel and know Christ. Their activity in ecclesial communities is so
necessary that, for the most part, the apostolate of the pastors cannot be
fully effective without it.Cf. LG 33
The participation of lay people in Christ's priestly office
901
"Hence the laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy
Spirit, are marvellously called and prepared so that even richer fruits of the
Spirit maybe produced in them. For all their works, prayers, and apostolic
undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body,
if they are accomplished in the Spirit - indeed even the hardships of life if
patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ. In the celebration of the Eucharist these may most
fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. and so,
worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world
itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their
lives."Pet 2:5
902
In a very
special way, parents share in the office of sanctifying "by leading a
conjugal life in the Christian spirit and by seeing to the Christian education
of their children."CIC, can. 835 # 4
903
Lay people who possess the required qualities can be admitted permanently to
the ministries of lector and acolyte.CIC, can. 835 # 4 When the necessity of the
Church warrants it and when ministers are lacking, lay persons, even if they
are not lectors or acolytes, can also supply for certain of their offices, namely,
to exercise the ministry of the word, to preside over liturgical prayers, to
confer Baptism, and to distribute Holy Communion in accord with the
prescriptions of law."CIC, can. 230 # 1
Participation
in Christ's prophetic office
904
"Christ . . . fulfills this prophetic office, not only by the hierarchy .
. . but also by the laity. He accordingly both establishes them as witnesses
and provides them with the sense of the faith [sensus fidei] and the grace of
the word"CIC, can. 230 # 3 To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher
and of each believer.St. Thomas Aquinas, STh. III, 71, 4 ad 3
905
Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelization, "that
is, the proclamation of Christ by word and the testimony of life." For lay
people, "this evangelization . . . acquires a specific property and
peculiar efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of
the world."LG 35 # 1, # 2
This witness of life, however,
is not the sole element in the apostolate; the true apostle is on the lookout
for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers . . . or to
the faithful.AA 6 # 3; cf. AG 15
906
Lay
people who are capable and trained may also collaborate in catechetical
formation, in teaching the sacred sciences, and in use of the communications
media.CIC, cann. 229
907
"In
accord with the knowledge, competence, and preeminence which they possess, [lay
people] have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred
pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and
they have a right to make their opinion known to the other Christian faithful,
with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward their
pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of
persons."CIC, can. 212 # 3
Participation
in Christ's kingly office
908
By his obedience unto death,Phil 2:8-9 Christ communicated to his disciples the
gift of royal freedom, so that they might "by the self-abnegation of a
holy life, overcome the reign of sin in themselves":LG 36
That man is rightly called a
king who makes his own body an obedient subject and, by governing himself with
suitable rigor, refuses to let his passions breed rebellion in his soul, for he
exercises a kind of royal power over himself. and because he knows how to rule
his own person as king, so too does he sit as its judge. He will not let
himself be imprisoned by sin, or thrown headlong into wickedness. St. Ambrose, Psal 118:14:30: PL 15:1476
909
"Moreover, by uniting their forces let the laity so remedy the
institutions and conditions of the world when the latter are an inducement to
sin, that these may be conformed to the norms of justice, favoring rather than
hindering the practice of virtue. By so doing they will impregnate culture and
human works with a moral value."LG 36 # 3
910
"The laity can also feel called, or be in fact called, to cooperate with
their pastors in the service of the ecclesial community, for the sake of its
growth and life. This can be done through the exercise of different kinds of
ministries according to the grace and charisms which the Lord has been pleased
to bestow on them."Paul VI, EN 73
911
In the
Church, "lay members of the Christian faithful can cooperate in the
exercise of this power [of governance] in accord with the norm of
law."CIC, can. 129 # 2 and so the Church provides for their presence at
particular councils, diocesan synods, pastoral councils; the exercise in
solidum of the pastoral care of a parish, collaboration in finance committees,
and participation in ecclesiastical tribunals, etc.CIC,
cann. 443 # 4
912
The faithful should "distinguish carefully between the rights and the
duties which they have as belonging to the Church and those which fall to them
as members of the human society. They will strive to unite the two
harmoniously, remembering that in every temporal affair they are to be guided
by a Christian conscience, since no human activity, even of the temporal order,
can be withdrawn from God's dominion."LG 36 # 4
913
"Thus, every person, through these gifts given to him, is at once the
witness and the living instrument of the mission of the Church itself
'according to the measure of Christ's bestowal."'LG 33 # 2; cf. ⇒ Eph 4:7
III. THE
CONSECRATED LIFE
914
"The state of life which is constituted by the profession of the
evangelical counsels, while not entering into the hierarchical structure of the
Church, belongs undeniably to her life and holiness."LG 44 # 4
Evangelical
counsels, consecrated life
915
Christ proposes the evangelical counsels, in their great variety, to every
disciple. the perfection of charity, to which all the faithful are called,
entails for those who freely follow the call to consecrated life the obligation
of practicing chastity in celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom, poverty and
obedience. It is the profession of these counsels, within a permanent state of
life recognized by the Church, that characterizes the life consecrated to
God.Cf. LG 42-43; PC 1
916
The religious state is thus one way of experiencing a "more intimate"
consecration, rooted in Baptism and dedicated totally to God.Cf. PC 5 In the
consecrated life, Christ's faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to
follow Christ more nearly, to give themselves to God who is loved above all
and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom, to signify
and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come.CIC, can. 573
One great
tree, with many branches
917
"From the God-given seed of the counsels a wonderful and wide-spreading
tree has grown up in the field of the Lord, branching out into various forms of
the religious life lived in solitude or in community. Different religious
families have come into existence in which spiritual resources are multiplied
for the progress in holiness of their members and for the good of the entire
Body of Christ."LG 43
918
From
the very beginning of the Church there were men and women who set out to follow
Christ with greater liberty, and to imitate him more closely, by practicing the
evangelical counsels. They led lives dedicated to God, each in his own way.
Many of them, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, became hermits or
founded religious families. These the Church, by virtue of her authority,
gladly accepted and approved.PC 1
919
Bishops will always strive to discern new gifts of consecrated life granted to
the Church by the Holy Spirit; the approval of new forms of consecrated life is
reserved to the Apostolic See.CIC,
can. 605
The
eremitic life
920
Without always professing the three evangelical counsels publicly, hermits
"devote their life to the praise of God and salvation of the world through
a stricter separation from the world, the silence of solitude and assiduous
prayer and penance."CIC, can. 603 # 1
921
They manifest to everyone the interior aspect of the mystery of the Church,
that is, personal intimacy with Christ. Hidden from the eyes of men, the life
of the hermit is a silent preaching of the Lord, to whom he has surrendered his
life simply because he is everything to him. Here is a particular call to find
in the desert, in the thick of spiritual battle, the glory of the Crucified
One.
Consecrated
virgins
922
From apostolic times Christian virgins, called by the Lord to cling only to him
with greater freedom of heart, body, and spirit, have decided with the Church's
approval to live in a state of virginity "for the sake of the Kingdom of
heaven."Mt 19:12; cf.
⇒ l Cor 7:34-36
923
"Virgins who, committed to the holy plan of following Christ more closely,
are consecrated to God by the diocesan bishop according to the approved
liturgical rite, are betrothed mystically to Christ, the Son of God, and are
dedicated to the service of the Church."CIC, can. 604 # 1 By this solemn rite
(Consecratio virginum), the virgin is "constituted . . . a sacred person,
a transcendent sign of the Church's love for Christ, and an eschatological
image of this heavenly Bride of Christ and of the life to
come."Ordo Consecrationis Virginum, Praenotanda 1
924
"As with other forms of consecrated life," the order of virgins
establishes the woman living in the world (or the nun) in prayer, penance,
service of her brethren, and apostolic activity, according to the state of life
and spiritual gifts given to her.CIC, can. 604 # 1; OCV
Praenotanda 2 Consecrated virgins can form
themselves into associations to observe their commitment more
faithfully.CIC, can. 604 # 2
Religious
life
925
Religious life was born in the East during the first centuries of Christianity.
Lived within institutes canonically erected by the Church, it is distinguished
from other forms of consecrated life by its liturgical character, public
profession of the evangelical counsels, fraternal life led in common, and
witness given to the union of Christ with the Church.CIC, cann. 607
926
Religious life derives from the mystery of the Church. It is a gift she has
received from her Lord, a gift she offers as a stable way of life to the
faithful called by God to profess the counsels. Thus, the Church can both show
forth Christ and acknowledge herself to be the Savior's bride. Religious life
in its various forms is called to signify the very charity of God in the
language of our time.
927
All religious, whether exempt or not, take their place among the collaborators
of the diocesan bishop in his pastoral duty.CD 33-35 From the outset of the
work of evangelization, the missionary "planting" and expansion of
the Church require the presence of the religious life in all its
forms.Cf. AG 18; 40 "History witnesses to the outstanding service rendered
by religious families in the propagation of the faith and in the formation of
new Churches: from the ancient monastic institutions to the medieval orders,
all the way to the more recent congregations."John Paul II, RMiss 69
Secular
institutes
928
"A secular institute is an institute of consecrated life in which the
Christian faithful living in the world strive for the perfection of charity and
work for the sanctification of the world especially from
within."CIC, can. 710
929
By a "life perfectly and entirely consecrated to [such]
sanctification," the members of these institutes share in the Church's
task of evangelization, "in the world and from within the world,"
where their presence acts as "leaven in the world."Pius XII, Provida Mater; cf. PC 11
"Their witness of a Christian life" aims "to order temporal
things according to God and inform the world with the power of the
gospel." They commit themselves to the evangelical counsels by sacred
bonds and observe among themselves the communion and fellowship appropriate to
their "particular secular way of life."CIC, can. 713 # 2
Societies
of apostolic life
930
Alongside the different forms of consecrated life are "societies of apostolic
life whose members without religious vows pursue the particular apostolic
purpose of their society, and lead a life as brothers or sisters in common
according to a particular manner of life, strive for the perfection of charity
through the observance of the constitutions. Among these there are societies in
which the members embrace the evangelical counsels" according to their
constitutions.CIC,
can. 731 ## 1 and 2
Consecration
and mission: proclaiming the King who is corning
931
Already dedicated to him through Baptism, the person who surrenders himself to
the God he loves above all else thereby consecrates himself more intimately to
God's service and to the good of the Church. By this state of life consecrated
to God, the Church manifests Christ and shows us how the Holy Spirit acts so
wonderfully in her. and so the first mission of those who profess the
evangelical counsels is to live out their consecration. Moreover, "since
members of institutes of consecrated life dedicate themselves through their
consecration to the service of the Church they are obliged in a special manner
to engage in missionary work, in accord with the character of the
institute."CIC, can. 783.; cf. RM 69
932
In the Church, which is like the sacrament - the sign and instrument - of God's
own life, the consecrated life is seen as a special sign of the mystery of
redemption. To follow and imitate Christ more nearly and to manifest more
clearly his self-emptying is to be more deeply present to one's contemporaries,
in the heart of Christ. For those who are on this "narrower" path
encourage their brethren by their example, and bear striking witness "that
the world cannot be transfigured and offered to God without the spirit of the
beatitudes."LG 31 # 2
933
Whether their witness is public, as in the religious state, or less public, or
even secret, Christ's coming remains for all those consecrated both the origin
and rising sun of their life: For the People of God has here no lasting city, . . . [and this state]
reveals more clearly to all believers the heavenly goods which are already
present in this age, witnessing to the new and eternal life which we have
acquired through the redemptive work of Christ and preluding our future
resurrection and the glory of the heavenly kingdom.LG 44 # 3
IN BRIEF
934 "Among the Christian
faithful by divine institution there exist in the Church sacred ministers, who
are also called clerics in law, and other Christian faithful who are also
called laity." In both groups there are those Christian faithful who,
professing the evangelical counsels, are consecrated to God and so serve the
Church's saving mission (cf. ⇒ CIC, can. 207 # 1,
2).
935 To proclaim the faith and
to plant his reign, Christ sends his apostles and their successors. He gives
them a share in his own mission. From him they receive the power to act in his
person.
936 The Lord made St. Peter
the visible foundation of his Church. He entrusted the keys of the Church to
him. the bishop of the Church of Rome, successor to St. Peter, is "head of
the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and Pastor of the universal Church
on earth" (⇒ CIC, can. 331).
937 The Pope enjoys, by
divine institution, "supreme, full, immediate, and universal power in the
care of souls" (CD 2).
938 The Bishops, established
by the Holy Spirit, succeed the apostles. They are "the visible source and
foundation of unity in their own particular Churches" (LG 23).
939 Helped by the priests,
their co-workers, and by the deacons, the bishops have the duty of
authentically teaching the faith, celebrating divine worship, above all the
Eucharist, and guiding their Churches as true pastors. Their responsibility
also includes concern for all the Churches, with and under the Pope.
940 "The characteristic
of the lay state being a life led in the midst of the world and of secular affairs,
lay people are called by God to make of their apostolate, through the vigor of
their Christian spirit, a leaven in the world" (AA 2 # 2).
941 Lay people share in
Christ's priesthood: ever more united with him, they exhibit the grace of
Baptism and Confirmation in all dimensions of their personal family, social and
ecclesial lives, and so fulfill the call to holiness addressed to all the
baptized.
942 By virtue of their
prophetic mission, lay people "are called . . . to be witnesses to Christ
in all circumstances and at the very heart of the community of mankind"
(GS 43 # 4).
943 By virtue of their kingly
mission, lay people have the power to uproot the rule of sin within themselves
and in the world, by their self-denial and holiness of life (cf. LG 36).
944 The life consecrated to
God is characterized by the public profession of the evangelical counsels of
poverty, chastity, and obedience, in a stable state of life recognized by the Church.
945 Already destined for him
through Baptism, the person who surrenders himself to the God he loves above
all else thereby consecrates himself more intimately to God's service and to
the good of the whole Church.●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
The Election of a Catholic Pontiff (Pope)
Code of Canon Law
SECTION I. THE SUPREME AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH (Cann. 330 - 367)
CHAPTER I. THE ROMAN PONTIFF AND THE COLLEGE OF BISHOPS
Can. 330 Just as by the Lord’s decision Saint Peter and the other Apostles constitute one college, so in a like manner the Roman Pontiff, the successor of Peter, and the bishops, the successors of the Apostles, are united among themselves.
CHAPTER III.
THE CARDINALS OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH
Can. 349 The
cardinals of the Holy Roman Church constitute a special college which provides
for the election of the Roman Pontiff according to the norm of special law. The
cardinals assist the Roman Pontiff either collegially when they are convoked to
deal with questions of major importance, or individually when they help the
Roman Pontiff through the various offices they perform, especially in the daily
care of the universal Church.
Can. 350 §1. The
college of cardinals is divided into three orders: the episcopal order, to
which belong cardinals to whom the Roman Pontiff assigns title of a
suburbicarian church and Eastern patriarchs who have been brought into the
college of cardinals; the presbyteral order and the diaconal order.
§2. The Roman Pontiff assigns each of the cardinals
of the presbyteral or diaconal orders his own title or diaconia in Rome.
§3. Eastern patriarchs who have been made members of
the college of cardinals have their own patriarchal see as a title.
§4. The cardinal dean holds as his title the Diocese
of Ostia together with the other church he already has as a title.
§5. Through a choice made in consistory and approved
by the Supreme Pontiff and with priority of order and promotion observed,
cardinals from the presbyteral order can transfer to another title, and
cardinals from the diaconal order to another diaconia and if they have been in
the diaconal order for ten full years, even to the presbyteral order.
§6. A cardinal transferring through choice from the
diaconal order to the presbyteral order takes precedence offer all those
cardinal presbyters who were brought into the cardinalate after him.
Can. 351 §1. The
Roman Pontiff freely selects men to be promoted as cardinals, who have been
ordained at least into the order of the presbyterate and are especially
outstanding in doctrine, morals, piety, and prudence in action; those who are
not yet bishops must receive episcopal consecration.
§2. Cardinals are created by a decree of the Roman
Pontiff which is made public in the presence of the college of cardinals. From
the moment of the announcement they are bound by the duties and possess the
rights defined by law.
§3. When the Roman Pontiff has announced the
selection of a person to the dignity of cardinal but reserves the name of the person
in pectore, the one promoted is not bound in the meantime by any of the duties
of cardinals nor does he possess any of their rights. After the Roman Pontiff
has made his name public, however, he is bound by the same duties and possesses
the same rights; he possesses the right of precedence, though, from the day of
reservation in pectore.
Can. 352 §1. The
dean presides offer the college of cardinals; if he is impeded, the assistant
dean takes his place. Neither the dean nor the assistant dean possesses
any power of governance offer the other cardinals but is considered as first
among equals.
§2. When the office of dean is vacant, the cardinals
who possess title to a suburbicarian church and they alone are to elect one
from their own group who is to act as dean of the college; the assistant dean,
if he is present, or else the oldest among them, presides at this election.
They are to submit the name of the person elected to the Roman Pontiff who is
competent to approve him.
§3. The assistant dean is elected in the same manner
as that described in §2, with the dean himself presiding.
The Roman Pontiff is also competent to approve the
election of the assistant dean.
§4. If the dean and assistant dean do not have a
domicile in Rome, they are to acquire one there.
Can. 353 §1. The
cardinals especially assist the supreme pastor of the Church through collegial
action in consistories in which they are gathered by order of the Roman Pontiff
who presides. Consistories are either ordinary or extraordinary.
§2. For an ordinary consistory, all the cardinals,
at least those present in Rome, are called together to be consulted concerning
certain grave matters which occur rather frequently or to carry out certain
very solemn acts.
§3. For an extraordinary consistory, which is
celebrated when particular needs of the Church or the treatment of more grave
affairs suggests it, all the cardinals are called together.
§4. Only the ordinary consistory in which some
solemnities are celebrated can be public, that is, when prelates,
representatives of civil societies, and others who have been invited to it are
admitted in addition to the cardinals.
Can. 354 The
cardinals who preside offer dicasteries and other permanent institutes of the
Roman Curia and Vatican City and who have completed the seventy-fifth year of
age are asked to submit their resignation from office to the Roman Pontiff who
will see to the matter after considering the circumstances.
Can. 355 §1. The
cardinal dean is competent to ordain as a bishop the one elected as Roman
Pontiff if he needs to be ordained; if the dean is impeded, the assistant dean
has the same right, and if he is impeded, the oldest cardinal from the
episcopal order.
§2. The senior cardinal deacon announces the name of
the newly elected Supreme Pontiff to the people; likewise, in the place of the
Roman Pontiff, he places the pallium upon metropolitans or hands it offer to
their proxies.
Can. 356
Cardinals are obliged to cooperate assiduously with the Roman Pontiff;
therefore, cardinals who exercise any office in the curia and who are not
diocesan bishops are obliged to reside in Rome. Cardinals who have the care of
some diocese as the diocesan bishop are to go to Rome whenever the Roman
Pontiff calls them.
Can. 357 §1. The
cardinals who have been assigned title to a suburbicarian church or a church in
Rome are to promote the good of these dioceses or churches by counsel and
patronage after they have taken possession of them. Nevertheless, they possess no power of governance
offer them nor are they to intervene in any way in those matters which pertain
to the administration of their goods, their discipline, or the service of the
churches.
§2. In those matters which pertain to their own
person, cardinals living outside of Rome and outside their own diocese are
exempt from the power of governance of the bishop of the diocese in which they
are residing.
Can. 358 A
cardinal to whom the Roman Pontiff entrusts the function of representing him in
some solemn celebration or among some group of persons as a legates a latere, that
is, as his alter ego, as well as one to whom the Roman Pontiff entrusts the
fulfillment of a certain pastoral function as his special envoy (missus
specialis) has competence only offer those things which the Roman Pontiff
commits to him.
Can. 359 When the
Apostolic See is vacant, the college of cardinals possesses only that power in
the Church which is attributed to it in special law.
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