Wednesday, August 26, 2020 –
Before we get started on each of the four Marks of the Church, let’s contemplate the Catechism for a moment. I find this section to be a bit confusing. It is hard to explain. Maybe it was a translation issue? Perhaps it was a the craziness of the late 80s / early 90s? Probably it is because I am no theologian and definitely lack the mental prowess of the Sainted JPII.
Who knows!? Anyhoo, I personally find this particular section to be entirely “in the weeds,” so to speak. With that in mind, we will be relying on the “In Brief” section (much clearer!), and our myriad of older resources (Baltimore Catechism, Bishop Morrow’s My Catholic Faith, etc.).
Right, so, jumping right into the Marks of the Church, today we will talk about ONE (AKA UNITY). Here is the Catechism’s In Brief paragraph:
866 The Church is one: she acknowledges one Lord, confesses one faith, is born of one Baptism, forms only one Body, is given life by the one Spirit, for the sake of one hope (cf. Eph 4:3-5), at whose fulfillment all divisions will be overcome.
This definition covers the mark of Unity (AKA One), but it is a bit hidden. Again, I find this whole section a bit confusing (maybe underwhelming would be a better term?). You see, unity isn’t just about a saccharine sense of comradery, nor is unity about us holding hands and singing John Foley, SJ’s “One Bread, One Body” (GAG!).
Unity actually has meaning and gravitas in terms of being a Mark of the Church. It is:
- Internal and spiritual unity (AKA the charity that binds us together in Christ)
…AS WELL AS…
- External and visible unity consisting of:
- Faith (AKA unity of doctrine): professing the same beliefs (Creed)
- Worship: reception of the same Sacraments; we all have the same Sacrifice of the Mass
- Government: obeying the same authority, which was instituted by Christ
For those super smart people, here is the Catholic Encyclopedia definition:
The Catholic conception of the mark of unity, which must characterize the one Church founded by Christ, is far more exacting. Not only must the true Church be one by an internal and spiritual union, but this union must also be external and visible, consisting in and growing out of a unity of faith, worship, and government. Hence the Church which has Christ for its founder is not to be characterized by any merely accidental or internal spiritual union, but, over and above this, it must unite its members in unity of doctrine, expressed by external, public profession; in unity of worship, manifested chiefly in the reception of the same sacraments; and in unity of government, by which all its members are subject to and obey the same authority, which was instituted by Christ Himself. (New Advent, Catholic Encyclopedia, Unity, << https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15179a.htm>>)
Bishop Morrow says it more succinctly, but over the span of a couple pages:
50. Marks of the True Church
Christ intended His Church to be One; therefore the True Church must be One. Its members must be united in doctrine, in worship, and in government. Christ said:
“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 3:24). “There shall be one fold and one Shepherd” (John 10:16). (Bishop Morrow, My Catholic Faith, p. 101)…
52. The Catholic Church: Unity and Holiness
3. All Catholics today hold the same faith that Catholic in the past held…
4. The Catholic Church is one in worship. All members make use of the same Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and receive the same sacraments. Although rites vary, the essentials of worship laid down by Christ form the foundation of all…
5. All Catholics are united in government.
Everywhere the faithful obey their pastors, the pastors obey the bishops, and the bishops obey the Pope. The Catholic Church is truly “one fold and one Shepherd”, its unity standing out unequalled in all history. (Bishop Morrow, My Catholic Faith, p. 105)
Finally, the most direct and clear explanation would be from the Baltimore Catechism, #3:
Q. 549. How is the Church One?
A. The Church is One because all its members agree in one faith, are all in one communion, and are all under one head.
Q. 550. How is it evident that the Church is one in government?
A. It is evident that the Church is one in government, for the faithful in a parish are subject to their pastors, the pastors are subject to the bishops of their dioceses, and the bishops of the world are subject to the Pope.
Q. 551. What is meant by the Hierarchy of the Church?
A. By the Hierarchy of the Church is meant the sacred body of clerical rules who govern the Church.
Q. 552. How is it evident that the Church is one in worship?
A. It is evident that the Church is one in worship because all its members make use of the same sacrifice and receive the same Sacraments.
Q. 553. How is it evident that the Church is one in faith?
A. It is evident the Church is one in faith because all Catholics throughout the world believe each and every article of faith proposed by the Church.
Q. 554. Could a person who denies only one article of our faith be a Catholic?
A. A person who denies even one article of our faith could not be a Catholic; for truth is one and we must accept it whole and entire or not at all.
That last one kind of stings, don’t it!? But, them’s the truth! If you deny even one article of faith, then you are not truly part of Christ’s Church.
So, going a little deeper into our basic outline above for the external and visible unity consisting of:
1. Faith (AKA unity of doctrine): professing the same beliefs (Creed)
Catholics all believe and profess the same Creed. Likewise, the faith (AKA the beliefs) we have today is unchanged from the beliefs of past Catholics. This does not mean that we all have to pray the same decades of the Rosary on Mondays (a habit or little “t” tradition). However, we all DO BELIEVE that Christ was born of the Virgin Mary and stuff like murder is wrong because God is the Creator of all life. This is about our doctrine—our dogmas—and that we all believe as Catholics.
2. Worship: reception of the same Sacraments; we all have the same Sacrifice of the Mass
Believe it or not, Catholics have the same Seven Sacraments and the same Sacrifice of the Mass. I know, I know! Sometimes you run into that one crazy Priest that does not believe Latin is a language, but even the worst Priest still brings us the Sacrifice of Calvary. But to clarify (since apparently this is a thing we need to plainly say for the folks in the nosebleed section), using the royal “we” in a Baptism is NOT a Catholic thing, and it invalidates the Sacrament. Since our Sacraments are all the same, that means we ALL have the same matter and form for each one. DO…NOT…MAKE…STUFF…UP!
3. Government: obeying the same authority, which was instituted by Christ
This will be reviewed when we get to Apostolicity, but here’s the basics: Christ instituted the Apostles and gave us Peter, the first Pope. From there our Church government—our Church AUTHORITY—comes. We, the faithful, obey our Pastors (yes, we do!), who obey their Bishops, who obey the Pope. Spoiler Alert: the Pope is NOT Michael and he does NOT live in Kansas.
Well, that was longer than I had hoped. Sorry about that.
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints, have mercy on us.
