Why Organized Religion is Necessary

Many people live in the misguided opinion that organized religion is not necessary. They believe in the here and the now while rejecting the calling of God to live as a community of faith, in communion together. Those who think they can be "spiritual but not religious" are living in an illusion.

Christ Established a Visible Church on Earth

Drawing on sound reasoning, Father Stephen Keenan in the often-forgotten work “A Doctrinal Catechism” also logically demonstrates:

To what does Christ compare the Church? To a city on the top of a mountain, visible to all the eyes in the world. What do you conclude from these words (Matthew 28:17:) "If he will not hear them, tell the Church?" That the Church must have been always visible, otherwise there must have been a time during which this command of Christ was impossible on account of the invisibility of the Church; for no one could lay his complaint before an invisible Church. Hence the Catholic is the true Church, since she is the only Church that has been always visible.

Sacred Scripture Affirms Why A Visible Church On Earth Is Necessary

Dr. Ludwig Ott in "Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma" states the following by drawing from Sacred Scripture:

Pius XII, in the Encyclical “Mystici Corporis,’’ confirmed the teaching of Leo XIII, and expressly rejected the view that the Church is “a mere spiritual entity, joining together by an invisible link a number of communities of Christians, in spite of their difference in Faith.” The visibility of the Church was denied by the Spiritualistic Sects of the Middle Ages, by Huss and the Reformers. According to Huss, the Church consists of the communion of the predestinated. Calvin held the same view. Luther taught that the Church is “the assembly of the saints (the faithful), in which the Gospel is properly taught and the Sacraments are properly administered.

 

But without an authoritative teaching office there is no certain norm for the purity of doctrine or for the administration of the Sacraments. The rejection of the hierarchy inevitably led to the doctrine of the invisible Church. The biblical proof of the visibility of the Church springs from the Divine institution or the hierarchy. The teaching office demands from its incumbents the duty of obedience to the faith (Romans 1:5) and the confession of faith (Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:10). To the sacerdotal office corresponds, on the part of the faithful, the duty of using the means of grace dispensed by it (John 3:5; 6:54). To the pastoral office corresponds, on the part of those shepherded, the duty of being subject to the Church Authority (Matthew 18:17; Luke 10:16).

The Church Fathers Hold That the Church Must be Visible on Earth

Dr. Ott further cites, in support of this reality, the witness of the Early Church Fathers:

St. Irenaeus holds against the Gnostics that the adherents of the Church throughout the whole world confess the same faith, observe the [same commandments and preserve the same form of Church constitution. He compares the Church, which preaches the same truth everywhere, to a seven-branched candlestick, which, visible to all, bears the light of Christ (Adv. haer. V 20, i). St. Augustine compares the Church to a city on a mountain (Matthew 5:14): “The Church stands clear and visible before all men; for she is the city on the mountain which cannot be hidden.

Dr. Ott further cites, in support of this reality, the witness of the Early Church Fathers:

St. Irenaeus holds against the Gnostics that the adherents of the Church throughout the whole world confess the same faith, observe the [same commandments and preserve the same form of Church constitution. He compares the Church, which preaches the same truth everywhere, to a seven-branched candlestick, which, visible to all, bears the light of Christ (Adv. haer. V 20, i). St. Augustine compares the Church to a city on a mountain (Matthew 5:14): “The Church stands clear and visible before all men; for she is the city on the mountain which cannot be hidden. 

Fr. John Laux, in "Catholic Apologetics Book IV," explains:

The work of Redemption consisted in the discharge of this threefold office (of Priest, Prophet, and King). On the eve of His departure from this world Christ delegated His powers to His Apostles: "All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth: going therefore, teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world" (Matthew 28:18-20). 

From this commission of Christ, it is evident that His followers form an organized society under the leadership and guidance of the Apostles and their successors, with the right to teach and to command on one side, and the duty to be taught and to obey on the others..

Everything is visible about His great institution: Baptism, which is necessary for membership, the other Sacraments which He commanded His followers to receive, the rulers and lawgivers whom the faithful must obey, the tribunael before which the faithful are judged and to which they have a right to appeal. 

Conclusion

The entire purpose of the Catholic Church is to be the means of salvation for the entire world. The Church was created by Jesus Christ Himself (cf. Matthew 16:18) and founded on St. Peter, the first Pope. In Elements of Religion, Henry Liddon states that: “Morality severed from religious motives is like a branch cut from a tree; it may, from here and there, from accidental causes, retain its greeness for a while, but it’s chance of a vigorous life is a very slender one.” God alone is the source of all morality as all were created by Him and deserving of respect; lack of religion destroys true morality.

While Jesus Christ is the invisible head of the Church, He chose to build His Church on St. Peter. The Church preserves the Faith as taught by the Lord and handed down over the centuries in Her teachings. And She also passes down the ability to confer the Sacraments through Holy Orders. Catholic priests today who are ordained are ordained in the same line of apostolic succession that can be traced back bishop by bishop ultimately to the hand of Christ who ordained the Apostles on Holy Thursday at the Last Supper. Thus who reject this revealed dogma of the Faith are not Christians.

More Information

For those looking to learn about the Catholic faith or the answers to questions such as “Why Organized Religion,” I encourage the book “This Is the Faith” by Canon Francis Ripley as well as the CatechismClass.com Program.

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Upcoming dates

Here are some dates I just wanted to inform others of.

November 27, 2005 - Advent begins

March 1, 2006 - Ash Wednesday, Lent begins

April 16, 2006 - Easter

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St. Gertrude the Great

Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): November 16
Double (1955 Calendar): November 16

Today is the feastday of St. Gertrude, virgin and mystic, who received visions of Christ and a prayer for the souls in purgatory. St. Gertrude also received the stigmata. Our Lord gave her a prayer for the souls in purgatory.

St. Gertrude (1256 - 1302) was raised in the Cistercian abbey of Helfta, Eisleben. She lived devoutly and spoke fluent Latin even though her health was poor. At the age of 25 in 1281 AD, she began to receive visions of Christ, where He disclosed to her the secrets of mystical union. She was extremely intelligent in her studies and a caring person. St. Gertrude helped spread devotion to the Sacred Heart as well. She died in 1302 AD, consumed with burning love for Christ. Some of her writings, such as the following, have been preserved for our edification:

"Each time a person receives Holy Communion, their place in Heaven becomes greater and their stay in purgatory is shortened." While she was meditating on The Blessed Sacrament and wondering how our Lord could bring Himself so low as to live on our altars in the form of bread, Jesus Himself told her this story. A little prince, living in a huge palace filled with toys and games of all kinds, looked out of the window one day and saw some poor children playing in the street. Noticing the little boy looking out, his tutor asked him: "Would you like to stay in the palace today or go out and play with those children in the street?". "I would love to go out and play with them," answered the prince. Permission was granted, the prince put on the oldest clothes he had and played all day with the poor children in the street.It was one of his happiest days.Then our Lord said to St. Gertrude: "I am like that little prince, I like to be with you men and women.Whoever keeps people away from Communion deprives Me of a great joy."

The Liturgical Observance of St. Gertrude:

A liturgical office of prayer, readings, and hymns in her honor was approved by Rome in 1606. The liturgical feast of St. Gertrude has moved around. Dom Gueranger writes:

When Clement XII., as we have seen, established in the entire Church the feast of St. Gertrude the Great, he at first decreed that it should be kept on [November 17th], on which it is still celebrated by the Order of St. Benedict. But as the 17th November had been for long centuries assigned to St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, it seemed unfitting, said Benedict XIV, that he who moved mountains should himself be moved from his place by the holy virgin. Accordingly in 1739, the year following its institution, the feast of St. Gertrude was fixed on the fifteenth of this month. 

Yet her feast did not remain on November 15th. After Pope Pius XI canonized St. Albert the Great in 1931, he fixed the Doctor's feastday on November 15th, moving St. Gertrude to November 16th, where she remains. However, the Traditional Benedictine Calendar keeps St. Gertrude on November 17th

Prayer:

O God, Who in the heart of the holy Virgin Gertrude didst provide for Thyself a pleasant dwelling: through his merits and intercession, so Thou, in Thy mercy, wash all stains from our hearts and grant us joyful fellowship with her. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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The 67th Cure at Lourdes

There are now 67 people who have been officially declared as healed from their visit to Lourdes. This particular woman went there around 50 years ago and was cured from a rheumatic heart disease. Many, many more people have claimed to have been cured even though only 67 have only been investigated and declared as official miracles thus far.

Lourdes is an immensely spiritual place after the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858 and showed her a hidden healing spring in the town. Again, this is not a required belief to be a Catholic but another Testament of the joy of being with the Joy of the World, Our Lord and God, our Healer.

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Charity

Today we celebrate the life of St. Albert the Great, who has given us such wisdom as this:

"It is by the path of love, which is charity, that God draws near to man, and man to God. But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell. If, then, we possess charity, we possess God, for 'God is Charity.'" -- St. Albert the Great

Charity is one of the three theological virtues placed upon a soul at baptism along with faith and hope. Charity, however, is lost after a mortal sin is committed. Mortal sin destroys sanctifying grace and only through Confession can we "wash our robes clean in the blood of the Lamb"; by seeking Christ in forgiveneness we put ourselves in the right place again - humbly below God.

"Without the help of grace, men would not know how "to discern the often narrow path between the cowardice which gives in to evil, and the violence which under the illusion of fighting evil only makes it worse." This is the path of charity, that is, of the love of God and of neighbor. Charity is the greatest social commandment. It respects others and their rights. It requires the practice of justice, and it alone makes us capable of it. Charity inspires a life of self-giving: "Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.""(CCC 1889)

I particularly love the last line - in Christ we gain all truly great things. For the Good Shepard laid down his life for His sheep. Ask yourself would you lay down your life for him? For your fellow man? Do you ask yourself "How much do I love"? But more importantly...do you act on it.

Love Christ and preach His Gospel in the Catholic Church for all generations. We live for Christ, Our God. Alleluia.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Title Unknown

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"In God Is Our trust"

Update: The Motto is to remain!

In America we have a Freedom to Religion not a Freedom from religion. Atheism is a lie and nothing more!

Just tonight I found out that the same man who has filed suit for "under God" in the pledge of Allegiance to be removed has now filed suit against "In God is our trust" on America's currency. He is expected to win the case in the circuit court and take it to the Supreme Court.

“Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven” Matthew 10:32-33 (Douay Rheims).

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A Beatification Today

Today Pope Benedict XVI will move three people closer to being declared a saint by declaring them blessed. They are Charles de Foucauld, Maria Pia Mastena, and Maria Crocifissa Curcio. Their beatification ceremony is being aired on EWTN tonight. I will post more after their beatification tonight.

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St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

Memorial (1969 Calendar): November 13

Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, who shows us another example of today's gospel of living our faith. Born in Lombardi, Italy in 1850, she desired to be a nun by the age of eighteen, but her poor health prevent her. St. Frances helped her parents until their death and afterwards worked on a farm with her brothers and sisters. Following the request of a preach, St. Frances began to teach in a girl's school, and she taught there for 6 years.

Later, at request of her Bishop, St. Frances Cabrini founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, a religious order to care for poor children in schools and hospitals. At the urging of Pope Leo XIII she came to the United States in 1889 with six nuns to work among the Italian immigrants.
She lived tirelessly for the poor and founded 67 institutions to help the poor and misfortunate in a period of 35 years. At the time of her death, on December 22, 1917, in Chicago, Illinois, her institute numbered houses in England, France, Spain, the United States, and even South America. St. Frances became the first US citizen to ever be when Pope Pius XII canonized her in 1946.

Prayer:

"Holy Spirit, when Saint Frances was a child, she pretended she was a missionary to China as she sailed paper boats on a stream. Although You eventually sent her west to America instead of East to the Orient, her childhood games shaped her desire to serve You. I ask her to pray for our children to be protected from the lure of games that are worldly, violent, or occultic. O Lord, prevent society’s influences from blocking their desire to serve You when they grow up. Touch their souls to make them uneasy about games that erode their love for You and teach them to listen to Your guidance. Saint Frances, pray for us. Amen."

Image Source: Photo believed to be in the Public Domain

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Mary As the Ark of the Covenant

“O Ark of the New Covenant, clad on all sides with purity in place of gold, the one in whom is found the golden vase with true manna that is the flesh in which lies the God-head.” -- St. Anthanasius (295-373)

Back in the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was the holiest of holies in which no mere man could touch and not die. And, when Uzzah touched the Ark he was slain by God because the Ark is undefiled and has no place in sin (cf. 2 Sam. 6:7). Inside contained what, at that time, was the most important objects by God, and no mere man could touch them.

God is completely filled with glory and power, yet He also loves us beyond recollection. In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant contained the most holy objects: The Ten Commandments, manna, and Aaron’s staff. These objects were directly linked with God and were greatly special, but it is further true that these objects were not God. This ark was so holy no one could touch it and not die except the chief priest one day a year, but these objects still are nothing compared with Christ, who is the epitome of holiest. Now, Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant, which holds a much more powerful object than manna or a staff – Christ Himself. Mary is the holiest of all humans having carried within her the greatest splendor - Our Lord.

Let us look at Luke 1:35 where the Archangel says to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” This word “overshadow” comes from the Greek word "episkiasei", which refers to a glorious instance. This same Greek term was used previously in Exodus 40:34-35 to describe the Temple; the clear resemble to the Temple and Mary shows again the Mary is to be a great temple for God to come into the world and save us. She is the new Ark that held the greatest gift to the human race, and she must have been pure and sinless to be able to carry the Lord within her. Some say that making Mary into the Ark of the New Covenant shows we worship her, but we do not worship her just as the people of the Old Testament did not worship the ark itself. Instead, what was inside of the Ark was adored just as we adore the treasure inside Mary, who is Our Lord. Let us remember every time we say the Rosary that we recall God’s saving power through her willingness to humble herself.

Luke wrote this parallel under the careful guidance of the Holy Spirit along with his account of the Visitation, which also show reference to Mary being the Ark of the New Covenant.

In Luke 1:39 it states that Mary rose and went to her sister resembling the man, Daniel, rising in 2 Samuel 6:2. Also, further in Luke 1:42, upon Mary’s visit to St. Elizabeth, St. John the Baptist leapt in his mother’s womb alluding to 2 Sam 6:16 where King David leap for joy before the Ark of the New Covenant. Finally, St. Elizabeth responded to Mary by asking, “How can the Mother of my Lord come to me," (Luke 1:43) but this, once again, resembles Old Testament writings especially in 2 Sam. 6:9: “How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?"

These instances of the Old Testament mirroring the New Testament show us how many occasions, from the grace of baptism mirroring the Great flood to the Bread of Life first mirrored in the manna in the desert, relate to each other. However, even though the image of Mary as the Ark is resembled very accurately it does not have to mirror it completely. For example, scholars indicate that King David mirrored Christ, but King David did commit sins unlike the Lord; the same finer details can be seen in the Ark where the Old Testament Ark was stolen, but the New Ark is now safely in Heaven.

Just as the Ark of the Old Covenant was worthy of praise, now an even greater Ark has come along with an even greater object in the Ark, Our Lord. We should remember this during the “Hail Mary” when we say, “The Lord is with thee,” because Mary is also deserving of honor, though less than God, but honor nonetheless. In 1 Chron. 15 and 16, the Old Ark is surrounded by hymns, veneration, trumpets, and other glorious actions. During the Hail Mary we take part in a new hymns and trumpets and proclaim Mary is truly blessed to have been made the Immaculate Ark of the New Covenant through whom Our Lord could take flesh.

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Pope St. Leo the Great

Double (1955 Calendar): April 11
Memorial (1969 Calendar): November 10

Today is the feastday of one of the few saints who have the informal title of "great" - St. Leo the Great (c. 400-461), pope and Doctor of the Church. He is a shining example for apologetics. St. Leo was an eloquent writer and homilist. He wrote exceptionally well on St. Peter and the papacy as founded in Matthew 16:18. However, St. Leo also fought extensively against heresies and preserved Church teachings.

He was pope from 440 to 461 AD during the invasion of Attila the Hun. When Attila marched on to Rome, St. Leo went out to meet him and pleaded for him to leave. As Leo spoke, Attila saw a vision of a man in priestly robes, carrying a bare sword, and threatening to kill the invader if he did not obey Pope St. Leo. It is believed that the visionary was St. Peter, to whom St. Leo had a great devotion. Attila the Hun, one of the most brutal barbarians in history, left. St. Leo won without a life being lost.

Prayer:

Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of Blessed Leo, Thy Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

Image: Pope St. Leo the Great confronts Atilla the Hun, In the Public Domain

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