Neuhaus on the magisterium
An excerpt from Neuhaus' new book.
click on subject link for full article.
For the Protestant, the act of faith is an act of faith in Christ, and only then, if at all, is it an act of faith in the Church. They are two acts of faith. For the Catholic, the act of faith in Christ and his Church is one act of faith. In the Nicene Creed we do not say, “I believe that there is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” We say, “I believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” Because I believe in Christ, I believe in his Church, I entrust myself to her. Christ the head and the Church his body constitute the totus Christus, the total Christ…. I am a Catholic because, among many other reasons, I do not know what else I would do with my trust. Trust is risk, trust is faith. Not blind faith but faith with eyes wide open. Christ as true God and true man can, by definition, not betray my trust. But the troubling thought is not easily dismissed: The totus Christus, including his very human Church, conceivably could betray my trust. I believe she never will.
But how can I know that? How can I know so much that I believe to be true except by believing it to be true? Trust, which is an act of love, is a way of knowing. How can a bridge know that the bridegroom will be faithful? Or vice versa? The image is apt, for we are told that the Church is the bride of Christ, and it is no secret that the people who are the Church have, like Israel of old, often gone a-whoring. But also like Israel of old, she is still the people of God. Through Scripture, councils, and the Magisterium she has taught truly, although her children, in positions high and low, have not always been faithful to her teaching. There is development of doctrine, and there will be until the end of time. But there is neither change nor contradiction of doctrine. Where others claim to see change or contradiction, I see development and refinement with a vision transformed by love. I, too, can construe such development as change and contradiction. It is easy to do. I choose to view it as Spirit-guided development and refinement. I accept responsibility for that choice. The apostolic leadership of the Church has been given the authority to judge. I choose to obey.
click on subject link for full article.
For the Protestant, the act of faith is an act of faith in Christ, and only then, if at all, is it an act of faith in the Church. They are two acts of faith. For the Catholic, the act of faith in Christ and his Church is one act of faith. In the Nicene Creed we do not say, “I believe that there is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” We say, “I believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” Because I believe in Christ, I believe in his Church, I entrust myself to her. Christ the head and the Church his body constitute the totus Christus, the total Christ…. I am a Catholic because, among many other reasons, I do not know what else I would do with my trust. Trust is risk, trust is faith. Not blind faith but faith with eyes wide open. Christ as true God and true man can, by definition, not betray my trust. But the troubling thought is not easily dismissed: The totus Christus, including his very human Church, conceivably could betray my trust. I believe she never will.
But how can I know that? How can I know so much that I believe to be true except by believing it to be true? Trust, which is an act of love, is a way of knowing. How can a bridge know that the bridegroom will be faithful? Or vice versa? The image is apt, for we are told that the Church is the bride of Christ, and it is no secret that the people who are the Church have, like Israel of old, often gone a-whoring. But also like Israel of old, she is still the people of God. Through Scripture, councils, and the Magisterium she has taught truly, although her children, in positions high and low, have not always been faithful to her teaching. There is development of doctrine, and there will be until the end of time. But there is neither change nor contradiction of doctrine. Where others claim to see change or contradiction, I see development and refinement with a vision transformed by love. I, too, can construe such development as change and contradiction. It is easy to do. I choose to view it as Spirit-guided development and refinement. I accept responsibility for that choice. The apostolic leadership of the Church has been given the authority to judge. I choose to obey.
posted by Sean at 3/06/2006 01:02:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home