From the desk of Father Paul

Friday, July 30, 2010

From the desk of Father Paul

We have all heard the word "fundamentalism" as it applies to Christian Churches, but what is it? Fundamentalism is not necessarily a Church in itself (like the Catholic Church or the Lutheran Church), but is more like a movement. It first appeared in the 18th century and has died out and re-surfaced about 30-40 years ago.
Their attitude is one of purity in religion, that is, nothing but the Bible. Perhaps the doctrine that really singles them out as Fundamentalists is their belief in salvation. In regard to Jesus, they do see Him as the Son of God, but they believe that He was actually punished by God for our sins, In other words, when He died on the cross, it was not just a matter of taking upon Himself our sins, but He was actually punished for them by God and therefore, once one accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, he/she no longer has to worry about punishment for sins committed; the moment this commitment is made, that person is assured of heaven, he/ she will not go to hell. Without that instant, he would be doomed. This leads to a "me and God" attitude with the exclusion of everyone else (Jesus is "my" Lord and Savior). There is no central authority, no Priesthood, no Sacraments and no "Church" (in the sense of "God's people"). Their individual community is important to them and their life is centered upon it, but that is as far as it goes. There is no idea of all Christians being a part of the 'Body of Christ' or `Church'; the emphasis is on "me and God".

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The Catholic Church traces its foundation to Jesus and the twelve Apostles. It sees the bishops of the Church as the successors of the apostles and the pope (the bishop of Rome), in particular, as the successor of Peter, the leader of the apostles.

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world's population. The Catholic Church is a communion of the Western Rite (Latin Rite) and 22 autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches (called particular churches), comprising 2,795 dioceses in 2008.

The Church's highest earthly authority in matters of faith, morality and Church governance is the Pope,currently Pope Benedict XVI, who holds supreme authority in the Church in concert with the College of Bishops, of which he is the head. The Catholic community is made up of an ordained ministry and the laity; members of either group may belong to organized religious communities.

The Church defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity. It operates social programs and institutions throughout the world, including schools, universities, hospitals, missions and shelters, as well as organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, Caritas Internationalis and Catholic Charities that help the poor, families, the elderly and the sick.

Through apostolic succession, the Church believes itself to be the continuation of the Christian community founded by Jesus in his consecration of Saint Peter, a view shared by some historians. It has defined its doctrines through various ecumenical councils, following the example set by the first Apostles in the Council of Jerusalem. On the basis of promises made by Jesus to his apostles, described in the Gospels, the Church believes that it is guided by the Holy Spirit and so protected from falling into doctrinal error.

Catholic beliefs are based on the Bible and on Traditions handed down from the time of the Apostles, which are interpreted by a teaching authority. Those beliefs are summarized in the Nicene Creed and formally detailed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.Formal Catholic worship, termed the liturgy, is regulated by Church authority. The Eucharist, one of seven Church sacraments and the key part of every Catholic Mass or Eastern Catholic Divine Liturgy, is the center of Catholic worship.

With a history spanning almost two thousand years, the Church is one of the world's oldest institutions and has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilization since at least the 4th century. In the 11th century, a major split (the Great Schism) occurred between Eastern and Western Christianity, largely as a result of disagreements over papal primacy. The Eastern Orthodox churches became a separate entity from the Catholic Church in the resulting schism. Eastern Churches who remained in or later re-established communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, form the Eastern Catholic churches. In the 16th century, partly in response to the Protestant schism, the Church engaged in a substantial process of reform and renewal, known as the Counter-Reformation.

Although the Church maintains that it is the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" founded by Jesus Christ where one can find the fullness of the means of salvation, it also acknowledges that the Holy Spirit can make use of other Christian communities to bring people to salvation. It believes that it is called by the Holy Spirit to work for unity among all Christians, a movement known as ecumenism.Modern challenges facing the Church include the rise of secularism and opposition to its stances on abortion, euthanasia, and contraception.

Welcome to Resurrection of the Lord - E Komo Mai

Friday, July 30, 2010