The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-01-05
SOME ANSWERS
BY FATHER JAMES


NI 'NNI~.. "H'.. uuNNIr 900 n NUMBER NI
poor souls They have right to be
instructed and if the "L1ym1u" of
yesterday Advertiser ls tired already
De VIII ba welcome to turn over the
page of these answers.
We have To- examine first of all the
constitution of the church as given I'm
the New Testament
The Catholic position in this regard
is announced I'm the following propo-
sitions:
j. Christ gave to- his church the
triple office of teacher. priest and pas
tor comprised in the two-fold power
Of orders and jurisdiction
.. The Apostles. not the faithful,
were directly invested by Christ with
that power which He conferred ON His
church.
9. Chr'sts church, with the power
and constitution given TO it by its
founder, win endure to the end of
time
A. St. Peter was designated and con-
sttuted by Christ the supreme head
of His church.
8. The end of ST. Peters primary
was the perfect unity Of the church
and the intimate union Of its mem
bers.
g. The primacy of st. Peter in the
church win endure forever.
Z. The Pope or the Bishop of Rome,
is the successor Of st. Peter i'm the
primacy over the whole church.
s. The Pope's primacy is defined by
Christ himself Cd as a true power of
jurisdiction, CD ordinary and CD inn
mediate 90 comprising the fullness Of
that spiritual authority conferred on
the church and 60 extending to all
ecclesiastical matters.
9. The bishops are the true success
sors of the apostles hence they and
not the people, nor the state have been
invested with the government of the
church.
These propositions 1 win now have
to prove to be true.
FIRST PROPOSITION.
Christ gave to His church the triple
office of teacher, priest, and pastor,
comprised in the two-fOld power of
orders and jurisdiction.
BY power we mean authority as well
as right to preach the gospel without
let or hindrance, to which corresponds
the obligation of people to accept their
teaching. The church as a teacher is
charged to communicate the truths of
revelation; by the prestly Office she
administers the means of grace, and by
the PASTORAL office she directs effica-
ciously all the faithful to their last
end
That Christ gave extensive preroga-
tives to His church appears from the
fact that He conferred on His apostles
the same power that He Himself pos
sessed "All power is given to me in
heaven and on earth. Go therefore,
teach We all nations baptizing them
and (NIath. %, is, 19) Christ was an
nounced by the prophets as teacher,
priest and king. AS such he proved
himself by His preaching, by His I'M
bloody sacrifice at the last supper and
the bloody sacrifice on the cross, and
by the institution of the new Christian
law. Hence those to whom he trans
mitted His power are invested with
the same prophetic, priestly and king
ly dignity.
AS in the words quoted He sum-
ll1llLeS
church, so on other occasions He des-
cribes it more in detail. He conferred
on His apostles the priestly Office when
He said to them at the last supper
do this for a commemoration OF me
duke 22:19) To this priestly office refer
also these words: LAS the Father hath
sent Me, so all l send you" Receive
We the Holy Ghost. Whosoever you
shall forgive they are forgiven them;
and whose sins you shall retain they
are retained Dob 20:21-23. The pastoral
office in it's most comprehensive sense
was contained in the words addressed
to st. Peter: Feed My lambs; feed My
sheep John 81 and Math XVI 19 Christ
moreover gives His apostles the charge
ito preach the gospel to every creature
whence the obligation for all to accept
it. He that believed not shall be con-
demned Mark XVI 10, 16) We conclude
from this that they have received the
right to teach with authority.
The power thus indicated i'm the
gospel was exercised by the church
from the earliest times. The apostles
discharged the teaching Office by
preaching the gospel, and demanding
it's acceptance i'm the name of God
They exercised the priestly office as
often as they acted as the dispensers
of the mysteries of God (COr. TX -
ordaining priests and bishops (Acts
XIV 22) celebrating the sacred func-
tions of the church q Cor. Y 1920
They exercised the pastoral Office as
often as they issued laws or precepts
(Acts XIV 29), or excluded criminals
from the churchs communion q Cor.
V 8; l Tim. l 2O) Doubtless the apostles
who with the assistance of Christ and
the light of the Holy Ghost propagated
the church, must have known the eX-
tent of the authority committed to
them We must, therefore, conclude
that the authority exercised by them as
rulers of the church was actually given
them by Christ.
To be continued
INCREASE IN APPROPRIATIONS.
Governor Carter is awaiting the es-