THE ONE, TRUE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, APOSTOLIC CHURCH

I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.   

CC22 ….  For newcomers to these Postings: I’m writing about the Unbroken Line , Unbroken Succession, starting from the Apostles to the present Pope, and what Tertullian has told us about it and his address to the heretics.

Where lies the weakness of heretics  ?

Heresy (and heretics) lack the Apostolic Succession. Tertullian goes on with his argumentation:

“It might happen that there could be heresies which would claim to reach back to apostolic times.  In this way, they would appear to have been taught by the apostles.”

To this remark, one could easily, and should retort:                                                

“Let them (the heretics) produce the certificates of birth of their churches.  Let them unfold the list of their bishops, which would clearly demonstrate, show, their succession from the beginning, in such a way that they would prove that their first bishop was appointed by the Apostles”

“This is the way by which the apostolic churches authenticate their position. In this way, the Church of Smyrna shows that Polycarp was assigned to it by the Apostle, John, the Evangelist;

In like manner the Church of Rome demonstrates that Clement was ordained by  the Apostle, Peter.

Similarly, the other churches show the Bishops who, appointed by the Apostles, are for them (the Churches), the channel of the apostolic seed.”  (Tertullian, Work quoted, Part II, n.32.)

God bless you.          / CC 23

Extracts by kind permission of  HG Mons. Sylvester Magro ofm, Apostolic Vicar  of Benghazi.

THE ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, APOSTOLIC CHURCH

I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.   

CC21.

Who else could be summoned as a witness to the Apostolic Succession  ?

TERTULLIAN

The greatest amongst the Apologists, Tertullian was born in Carthage (modern Tunis) about the year 160 a.C. of pagan parents.  At the age of thirty three he converted to Christianity and became an apologist, polemist, theologian and moralist.

How does Tertullian identify the true Christian  ?

For Tertullian, the true Christian is:

·       The one who belongs to the Church founded by the Apostles,

·       Who accepts the doctrine they taught, and which is preserved in the Church founded upon them.

“Clearly”, concludes Tertullian, “the heretics lack all this, hence they are outside the One and True Church founded by Jesus Christ.”

How does Tertullian confront the heretics  ?

Tertullian challenges them with these words:

“It would seem unlikely that Christ would have revealed His Father to others besides the Apostles whom He sent out to preach…..and what did they preach?  In order to know it, it is necessary to appeal to the churches which were founded  personally by them ….

This being so, it follows that, only that doctrine is true, which is in full agreement with that of the Apostolic Churches, Mothers and Sources of the Faith …..it also follows that, any other teaching is an outright lie,  one that contradicts the truth of the Church of the Apostles, of Christ, and of God.  (Tertullian: ‘De Praescriptione Haereticorum’, Part II, 21, 12.)           /CC22

Extracts by kind permission of  HG Mons. Sylvester Magro ofm, Apostolic Vicar  of Benghazi.

THE CANDLE

The beauty of a Candle, the price of a Candle, the value of a Candle, is found in one single act...that of being of service to others.                                                                                   In the process, the Candle loses its elegance, its shape, its form and colour, it becomes formless, till the last flicker, and then....it's dead. 

But is not the life story of the Candle a paragon of the life story of every Mother ?           In her youth she is elegant in form, she is beautiful, lovely to look at, full of life, graceful...she then gets married, becomes a MUM, a loving mother who starts the process of passing on her love and attention on her offsprings, from babyhood to their adulthood.

 By that time, the, once elegant, young MUM, just like the Candle, in the process of bringing up her children and looking after, caring for them...she loses much, all, of her external grace and beauty, because she would have passed it on to her loved ones.

 Life goes on, till one day, like the Candle, MUM gives out her last flicker and is gone. But her beauty, her elegance, her smartness, her gracious form still remain, in her loved ones. Nothing has been lost. 

Dear young friends, you who are lucky to have still your MUM around, look at her NOW...and look atr her photo on her Wedding Day...where has all the beauty gone? Then look at the mirror and at your brothers and sisters....and you will get the answer. God bless all MUMS.

THE ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, APOSTOLIC CHURCH

 I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, was Crucified, and Resurrected. I believe in the Holy Spirit.              I believe in the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.     I believe in the resurrection of the body.   I believe in life everlasting, Amen.

 CC20 …. What is the conclusion arrived at by Irenaeus ?

At this point, Irenaeus puts down the names of the Successors of Peter in the government of the Church of Rome. From this unbroken line of Succession, he concludes:

“These, being our proofs, there is no need to go elsewhere in search of the Truth, which is so easily found in this Church….THE CHURCH.   In her, like in a drawer, the Apostles have deposited the whole Truth, so that whoever wanted…and still wants, could draw from it the waters of Life (Rev. 22:17)  This is the entrance to Life.  All others, are thieves and robbers. “(Jn. 10: 1, 8-9)

“It is therefore important to avoid them (…the heretics), and to love with supreme intensity that which the Church teaches, and so to learn the Tradition of the Truth.” (Adversus Haereses,  Bk.III, n.4,1.)

What is the value of the testimony of Irenaeus ?

Like that of Clement of Rome, the witness of Saint Irenaeus regarding the Apostolic Succession, is invaluable.  Irenaeus demonstrates that the uninterrupted Succession of the Bishops from St.Peter onwards, is the only guarantee of the authentic transmission of the Word of God, in the true Church founded by Christ. *  Outside this unbroken line of Succession, beginning from the Apostles, there can not be the true Church, neither can one find the TRUTH. **

*If you do not want to be tossed by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness and deceitful wiles (Eph, 4,14), why not do like Irenaeus ? Consult any good, reliable, Encyclopaedia and ascertain yourself of the uninterrupted line of the Apostolic Succession from St.Peter to the present day Pope …. Pope Benedict XVI…2012. (Search for the word, “Popes”).

**An identical procedure would have to be followed if one would like to identify and ascertain himself of his lineage.  He would examine the ‘Family Tree’ at the Public Registry.  That would be the most valid and unequivocal testimony of one’s belonging or not, to a given line or family.      /CC 21

Extracts by kind permission of  HG Mons. Sylvester Magro ofm, Apostolic Vicar  of Benghazi.

ASH WEDNESDAY Why Ash ?

Though the Bible does not mention Ash Wednesday or the custom of Lent, however, the practice of repentance and mourning in ashes is found in 2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:1; Job 2:8; Daniel 9:3; and Matthew 11:21. It was the Jewish custom...besides that of other Cultures, that as a sign of repentance, sorrowing, being in mourning, they used to wear sackcloths and cover themselves all over with ashes.

 From that custom the Church kept the use of ASHES as a symbol of Penance and Repentance on the First day of Lent, for that reason it is called ASH WEDNESDAY...this is ONLY a rite, but we have to translate the symbol of Ashes to FACTS...for this reason we fast and abstain from eating meat on this patricular Wednesday. 

Now, as things are...nowadays we do eat meat all year round, so we might not feel it as a sacrifice not having meat ...for me it's a sacrifice EATING meat. In similar cases we should feel that we have to offer up things which we normally enjoy having; like watching certain favourite TV programmes, abstain from having sweet goodies and chocolates, from drinking wine...and the rest. All this to make us well prepared to remember what Christ has gone through to redeem us. God bless.

THE ONE, TRUE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH

 I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, was Crucified, and Resurrected. I believe in the Holy Spirit.              I believe in the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.     I believe in the resurrection of the body.   I believe in life everlasting, Amen.

CC 19   Who is the other ancient witness ?

2.         St.Irenaeus

Irenaeus was born about the year 140 a.C. in Smyrna (modern Turkey). He became Bishop of Lyon, France, where he suffered martyrdom in the year 203.  Earlier in his youth Irenaeus was a disciple of St.John the Evangelist.

What does Irenaeus teach about Apostolic Succession ?

The principal work of Irenaeus is his treatise….”Against Heresies” (Adversus Haereses) . Basing his arguments on Sacred Scripture, Irenaeus demonstrates that heretics are in the wrong, because they are outside of, and cut off from the Apostolic Succession.

Thus writes Irenaeus: “Therefore, all who want to know the truth, can follow in all the churches, the Tradition of the Apostles.  We can enumerate those who were appointed Bishops of the churches of the Apostles, and their successors, to the present day.  Whatever these taught has nothing to do with what the heretics were teaching nor to their fantasies…”

Irenaeus goes on:  “But since it would be long, in a volume like this, to enumerate the successors of the churches, we shall examine the greatest and the most ancient Church, known to all, established in Rome by the glorious Apostles Peter and Paul.

“We shall also demonstrate that, the Tradition which she received from the Apostles and the Faith which she proclaimed to all men, have reached us through the succession of Bishops.” (Adversas Haereses, Bk. III, n.3,2.)    /CC20

Extracts by kind permission of  HG Mons. Sylvester Magro ofm, Apostolic Nuncio of Benghazi.