With one exception: the Maronite Church. The Maronites remained faithful to the pope, declaring: "Where Peter is, there is the Church".
Ping!
Posted on 11/09/2014 3:09:29 PM PST by NYer
With one exception: the Maronite Church. The Maronites remained faithful to the pope, declaring: "Where Peter is, there is the Church".
Ping!
This is wrong.
It is wrong because Jesus did not found his church on flesh and blood (the Apostles or Peter) but on Truth, namely a Spiritual truth, and in fact the biggest Truth there is:
(Matthew 16:15-18)
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
The rock that Jesus is referring to there isn't Peter, a flawed man who still would deny Jesus three times, but that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.
Peter's denial is actually quite relevant because Paul in 2 Tim 2:13 says If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. and if the Church were founded on Peter who denied Jesus then that would literally be part of the church's constitution — but it is not, it is that Jesus really is who he said he was and that, because of that, can do what he says he can.
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“How Many Catholic Churches Are There?”
23 official denominations of Catholic
millions of individual denominations of Catholic
Seems like I've heard that somewhere before...
Not denominations — they are different rites said in different languages.
Rite - Catholic word to avoid saying denominations... not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Catholic means UNIVERSAL.....ONE TRUE CHURCH.....some “sects”.
Wrong. There is one authority given exclusively to Peter and his successors. This is how the early Church fathers understood this. This was the same authority they used to put together the books in the Bible. They did not fall from the skies. They were sorted out after years of study, discussion, debate, and then by final authority of the successor to Peter as the “Word of God.”
If I were to trying out a few, would that be a Shop-Rite?
LOL! ONLY if you tried out MaronITE and MelkITE — LOL!
We have a Maronite Church in our diocese, St. Sharbel and NYer attends one in another state.
Truly!
“....a flawed man who still would deny Jesus three times....”
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Sheesh, I wish I were as flawed as Peter who, in the end, was willing to be crucified upside down for the Lord.
And talking about denying Christ three times, I know I have done it many more times than that.
Him being given authority is not the same thing as founding the church upon him.
Or would you say that the kingdom if Israel was founded upon Saul? After all he was given the authority of king by God.
This is how the early Church fathers understood this. This was the same authority they used to put together the books in the Bible.
Again, authority is not equivalent to the founding.
They did not fall from the skies. They were sorted out after years of study, discussion, debate, and then by final authority of the successor to Peter as the “Word of God.”
Again, I'm not saying that Peter had no authority, or that things happened by magic [i.e. without study or work].
Although it is not widely known in our Western world, the Catholic Church is actually a communion of Churches. According to the Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, the Catholic Church is understood to be "a corporate body of Churches," united with the Pope of Rome, who serves as the guardian of unity (LG, no. 23). At present there are 22 Churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The new Code of Canon Law, promulgated by Pope John Paul II, uses the phrase "autonomous ritual Churches" to describe these various Churches (canon 112). Each Church has its own hierarchy, spirituality, and theological perspective. Because of the particularities of history, there is only one Western Catholic Church, while there are 21 Eastern Catholic Churches. The Western Church, known officially as the Latin Church, is the largest of the Catholic Churches. It is immediately subject to the Roman Pontiff as Patriarch of the West. The Eastern Catholic Churches are each led by a Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Metropolitan, who governs their Church together with a synod of bishops. Through the Congregation for Oriental Churches, the Roman Pontiff works to assure the health and well-being of the Eastern Catholic Churches.
While this diversity within the one Catholic Church can appear confusing at first, it in no way compromises the Church's unity. In a certain sense, it is a reflection of the mystery of the Trinity. Just as God is three Persons, yet one God, so the Church is 22 Churches, yet one Church.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes this nicely:
"From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity which comes from both the variety of God's gifts and the diversity of those who receive them... Holding a rightful place in the communion of the Church there are also particular Churches that retain their own traditions. The great richness of such diversity is not opposed to the Church's unity" (CCC no. 814).
Although there are 22 Churches, there are only eight "Rites" that are used among them. A Rite is a "liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony," (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 28). "Rite" best refers to the liturgical and disciplinary traditions used in celebrating the sacraments. Many Eastern Catholic Churches use the same Rite, although they are distinct autonomous Churches. For example, the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Melkite Catholic Church are distinct Churches with their own hierarchies. Yet they both use the Byzantine Rite.
To learn more about the "two lungs" of the Catholic Church, visit this link:
The Vatican II Council declared that "all should realize it is of supreme importance to understand, venerate, preserve, and foster the exceedingly rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern churches, in order faithfully to preserve the fullness of Christian tradition" (Unitatis Redintegrato, 15).
A Roman rite Catholic may attend any Eastern Catholic Liturgy and fulfill his or her obligations at any Eastern Catholic Parish. A Roman rite Catholic may join any Eastern Catholic Parish and receive any sacrament from an Eastern Catholic priest, since all belong to the Catholic Church as a whole. I am a Roman Catholic practicing my faith at a Maronite Catholic Church. Like the Chaldeans, the Maronites retain Aramaic for the Consecration. It is as close as one comes to being at the Last Supper.
Please freepmail me if you would like more information on the Eastern Catholic Churches.
>> “....a flawed man who still would deny Jesus three times....”
>
> Sheesh, I wish I were as flawed as Peter who, in the end, was willing to be crucified upside down for the Lord.
> And talking about denying Christ three times, I know I have done it many more times than that.
That’s ultimately my point — Jesus didn’t found the church on a man, who cannot save, but upon [the Truth of] Himself who CAN.
You must agree the profoundest of all authority is to authoritatively establish the Word of God in writing. In short, to assemble the books in the Bible. This is what the early Church fathers did using the sacred oral tradition, contemporary sources, and ritual. This deposit of authority was not to be spread around to every Tom, Dick and Harry who picks up the Bible and goes on a gallop of his own on how to interpret Scripture. This was to be done by virtue of Petrine authority. “Whatsoever, thou shall bind on earth….” You get the picture.
>> “There is one authority given exclusively to Peter and his successors.” <<
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Nonsense!
Peter had no more ‘authority’ than anyone else. (Try reading Yeshua’s words; he made it clear that all of his assembly were equal.
All of the apostles voluntarily deferred to James, out of respect for the fact that he he was the eldest of Yeshua’s brothers, but that was not official.
The pecking orders were dreamed up long after the apostles were all dead. Those that practiced such will not likely find Yehova’s rest.
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“autonomous ritual Churches” - I understand. Denominations that are autonomous, but share core beliefs. It is similar to Protestant polity, but adds tradition, costumes and more levels of overhead.
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