“In the end it is entirely up to us to submit to the authority of the Church.”
Frank Koch tells of the importance of obeying the law of the lighthouse.
“Two battleships assigned to the training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days. I was serving on the lead battleship and was on watch on the bridge as night fell. The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities.
Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing reported, “Light, bearing on the starboard bow.”
‘Is it steady or moving astern?’ the captain called out.
The lookout replied, ‘Steady, Captain,’ which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with that ship.
The captain then called to the signalman, ‘Signal that ship: We are on a collision course, advise you change course twenty degrees.’
Back came the signal, “Advisable for you to change course twenty degrees.”
The captain said, ‘Send: I’m a captain, change course twenty degrees.’
‘I’m a seaman second-class,’ came the reply. ‘You had better change course twenty degrees.’
By that time the captain was furious. He spat out, ‘Send: I’m a battleship. Change course twenty degrees.’
Back came the flashing light, ‘I’m a lighthouse.’
We changed course.”
“Authority” is a loaded word these days. A entire generation has been raised with the words “question authority.” This has led to questioning everything, believing in nothing. Everything has become relative. We are not even willing to say that a man and a woman, are a man and a woman.
The Authority of the Church is often misunderstood. It is often asked, with what authority does the Church teach? Or to put it in words we hear so frequently these days, “what right does the church have to tell me how to live my life?”
The source of the authority of the Church is Christ Himself.
In this week’s Gospel Jesus preaches in the Capernaum synagogue “as one having authority.” He did not teach as the scribes did, He had no conventional religious authority. The scribes would speak only when what they said could be backed up by past wisdom. The scribes drew stale water from closed cisterns.
But the words of Jesus were a fresh spring, clear and powerful. Where did He get His authority? The listeners were amazed at His teaching, a new teaching. They did not dispute His words, so we know they realized He spoke the truth but in a way they had never heard before.
The authority of Jesus is the authority of God. To hear Jesus speak is to hear God speak. The unclean spirit knew this, and obeyed the simple commands of God, “Quiet! Come out of him.”
Jesus passed His authority on to His apostles, who were empowered to pass this authority on to others. We see this clearly when Matthias was chosen to replace Judas (Acts of the Apostles 1:21–26.) The apostles then passed this authority on to their successors, and so it continued all the way down to today, to our bishops. This is what we refer to as the Apostolic Succession.
Scripture clearly shows that Christ created His Church to be His continuing presence in the world. He promised to with His Church unto to the end of the age and that the Holy Spirit would guide the Church in all things.
The Church is this empowered with the authority to teach on matters of faith, morals, and worship, i.e. the proper celebration of the liturgy and the sacraments. Because this authority comes directly from God, who guaranteed the Church would not fail, the Church cannot lead the faithful astray in terms of its official teachings. The official teaching of the Church is distinct from the actions of individual priests, deacons, bishops, popes, theologians, etc., who may be in error.
The authority of the Church is expressed through the trinity of scripture, tradition, and magisterial teaching.
After the death of the apostles it was the Church that created the canon of scripture, the Bible. There were many writings, epistles, gospels, etc., that were available to them at the time. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit the Church rejected those writings that were flawed in one way or another and compiled the 73 books that make up the Bible. This was the fullness of scripture for 1200 years until Martin Luther removed (on his own authority) seven books that contradicted his personal interpretation.
The scriptural basis for Tradition lies in the Gospel according to John. The evangelist tells us that there were many more things Jesus did and taught that were not recorded (John 21:25.) This is what we refer to as tradition, that which is handed down from one generation to the next. Scripture and Tradition are the two definitive witnesses to divine Revelation.
It is then the work of the Magisterium, the body of all the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter (the pope), guided by the Holy Spirit, to convey the proper interpretation of Divine Revelation to the faithful.
The Magisterium is properly understood as a servant. “It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully.” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 86)
The purpose of all this authority is so that Christ can continue to guide His Church in its ongoing work of salvation for all. In day to day terms this means that magisterial teaching may tell us that a practice is or is not part of the Faith. It may also tells us that if we are to live in accordance with the Faith, certain practices may be required or forbidden.
In the end it is entirely up to us to submit to the authority of the Church. We have free will to reject the teachings of the Church as the Gospels relate many instances of people hearing the words of Christ and deciding not to follow Him.
We may wish for the Church to change its teachings, to keep up with the times, or to move in accordance with contemporary societal values. But the Truth is the light, grounded on the rock. It cannot move. It is up to us then to alter our course to remain in the light.
Pax Vobiscum
Fourth Sunday In Ordinary Time