Note: The following post, "Is The Church a Democracy?" was written by Marie in February 2006, where it appeared on our "Apologetics" blog. I thought it worth repeating here.
One of the mistakes being generated by various groups and figures of prominence is to think that the Catholic Church is a democracy. This is not so!
The Church has never been a democracy, not in the past, not in the present and not in the future. In fact the Church does not change to suit the times in this anything goes generation. Most of the acrimony comes from a failed understanding of this essential fact. Some may not agree with everything the Church does, but that does not give anyone free license to dissent nor question the Churches authority.
Catholic Church doctrine and Dogma's are not to be disputed; they are to be accepted with filial obedience to the Vicar of Christ and the Magisterium, anyone who does other than this would have to consider themselves above the Church. This can also be a problem within the Church as some Priests and Religious embrace a spirit of liberalism and try to introduce a 'new doctrine' to the Catholic Church. They do this by trying to make Jesus seem as no different from all of us. They emphasise Jesus' humanity and either disregard or totally ignore Jesus Divine Nature. In their efforts to make the Church and Jesus more relevant they have in effect made both `seem' irrelevant. For why worship a `man' who is `just like us'? This is one of the weapons that the 'modernists' use to bring an element of relativism into the very heart of the Church.
There is also the opposite case where those who are so intent on never changing that they then negate the works within the Church such as the Second Vatican Council. Vatican 2 was not a mistake, for the Holy Spirit is never stagnant nor does it `move with the times. The Holy Spirit is above trends and modernism, but seeks within each heart and gives empowerment to that which it is espoused, The Roman Catholic Church. For as the keys were given to Peter so too they were given to Pope John XXIII, who opened the Heart of the Church to the awakening of its hidden depths and mysticism and allowing the Light to pierce the Truths of the Church, for all to seek God through the Sacraments and to acknowledge His Majesty, within.
The modernistic trend in the Church cannot be solely and entirely blamed on our Priests or religious, it is also to be shared with equal responsibility with the laity. We cannot complain about bad liturgical practices, if we maintain our silence in the presence of the Priests who espouse this `new (false) Doctrine'! The true enemy of the Church is apathy and timidity of soul, when in fear of repercussions or a loss of popularity the laity maintain their silence, thereby giving the Priest its sanction to do as he wishes. Some may say, `but we cannot speak or correct a Priest'. Was Catherine of Sienna wrong, when she confronted the legitimate Pope, and requested his return to his rightful seat, which is Rome? Was Paul wrong when he corrected Peter as to being chained by the Law?
Christ is the Head of the Church and we the people are its Body so it is incumbent upon us to follow the Church in Rome over and above `rogue priests and nuns' who espouse a false doctrine which tries to imply that man is Gods equal!! In the words of our late Pope John Paul II, " At the root of this loss of hope is an attempt to promote a vision of man apart from God and apart from Christ, this has led man to believe he is the absolute centre of reality……. the place of God and which forgets that it is not man who creates God, but rather God who creates man…..European culture gives the impression of `silent apostasy' on the part of people who have all that they need and who live as if God does not exist".
The Catholic Church is also a `patriarchal' Church, simply because Christ ordained it as such during The Last Supper, and our first Pope was St. Peter to our present Pope Benedict XVI. This does not negate a woman's role in The Church, but enhances and makes unique a woman's contribution to the faithful. Every Priest was born of a woman, the woman is central to the continuation of a healthy and spiritually productive Church, which Mary most Holy Mother of God, encapsulates for each one of us. Therefore any modernistic trend to elevate women as superior to men is doomed to fail, for its foundation is pride the first enemy of God.
The Church also honours the role of woman in that Christ was born of a woman and not just any woman but one especially chosen by the Triune Spirit. Mary would by her obedient Fiat, become the Spouse of the Holy Spirit and the Mother of God through the birth of her son, our Saviour Lord Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church honours and esteems Mary's role as The Mother of God above all other women. It is also to Mary the Mother of God, that women need to emulate as their most perfect example of femininity and filial obedience to God.
The modernistic trend to deem all things of faith in the concept of rationalisation is a heretical view, propagated by the `rationale humanism' of individuals. It is faulty in that the mind needs proof of what is unknowing and is essentially Mystery, for example `the Incarnation', if faith is based on ones own rationale, how was Christ conceived of a Virgin? If man bases his faith on the concept of what is understandable and logical, then what answer to this Mystery of Mysteries, the Incarnation?
When one dissents from the Church founded by Christ, then one has essentially, excommunicated himself from the Faith, for if the Catholic Church is to be held in dispute then you are in effect denying Jesus Christ as head of that very same Church. Thereby proclaiming oneself a heretic and essentially placing one's faith on what is acceptable to your own ideology. With a willful pursuit of dissent against The Churches Teaching and instigating upon one's own authority to be an enemy of the One True Holy and Apostolic Church, and an enemy of Christ, He, who Is and ever shall be The Head of The Catholic Church.
In matters of Liturgical correctness, whether it be in Latin or in the vernacular language of the persons country, is not based on a `perfect language' but on a `perfect intent', that seeks to give all Honour, Praise, Glory to the Trinitarian God, through Worship and thanksgiving and receiving of The Eucharist and through the Sacraments of the Church. To suggest that the only valid Mass is the Latin Mass is faulty in that it disregards the Popes authority to proclaim what is True and acceptable in forms of Worship. For if language is the source of the problems encountered by many Latin Mass observers, then should the Mass not be said in Aramaic, as was spoken by Jesus and the Apostles?
As for the Seat of Peter, if it were to have been vacant for any length of time, then you are proclaiming that God is impotent within His Church. For Jesus gave the Keys to the first Pope, St. Peter and unto him also the authority which is now given to our present Pope Benedict XVI. The Church is infallible, by the very fact that it is through Christ Jesus and Him Crucified, who is the Head of The Church entire. God does not make errors or mistakes, therefore neither does the Church, in matters of Doctrine and those who dispute The Churches authority are in danger of scandal and placing themselves over and above their Creator……and on a level with the serpent, who is also an enemy of the Church and an enemy of God its Creator, for the serpent was the first to embrace `rationale humanism' and presented it to Eve.
When the level of our Faith becomes dependent on what we are able to grasp intellectually is this Faith or reason? For as St. Augustine teaches, " Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."
We need to truly recognise the `signs of the times' and then with prayer, speak the Truth irrespective of the cost to oneself, for what comes first, self preservation or Salvation?
Peace of Christ to ALL
Copyright © 2006 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.
