The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-01-09

The end of ST. Peters prmacy was
the perfect unity of the Church and
the intimate union of is members.
DO every society the object of su-
premo power. whether 90 be- vested in
TO unite an the members iu one body.
to urge them TO the fulnllment of their
duties, and thue TO effect the unity OF
the social body and to promote the
union of It's members. To give the
Church a more perfect organic unity,
and TO promote its unity of action,
Christ wished &c TO be governed, as we
have seen in the previous articles, by
one head, in whom the supreme power
was to be vested.
That Christ established the primacy
in his Church for the purpose Of secur-
ing greater unity we may justly con-
clude from the very fact itself For
Christ actually conferred this power
on one; and the fact that He did so
gave greater unity to the Church, for
it is manifest that the unity Of a So
ciety Is greater if the supreme power
is vested in one than If it were vested
I'm several. For very society is a moral
person composed of head and members.
IT, then, the chief power reside in one,
the society possesses physically one
head. whereas if this power is divided
among several the head is only morally
one; and, consequently, it's unity is less
| conspicuous and less perfect.
Moreover, unity of action and the
union Of the members with one anoth-
er is more effectually promoted if the
supreme power be vested in one per-
son only; for thus discussions are more
easily avoided; the direction is more
systematic and the execution more
prompt; for there exists no difference
of opinion, such as must needs arise
when the supreme power is divided.
! Therefore st. Jerome adv. Jovin. I.
| 26) rightly remarks that the Church
was founded on Peter, and that one
was chosen from the twelve to cut off
all occasion of dissensions by the APP
pointment of one supreme head st.
| Cyprian had already called attention to
the same fact CEp. 20 ad Januar)
OF course God could have obviated
the difficulties by supernatural means;
| but since grace and nature are always
in harmony, and grace supposes and
! supplements nature it was in keeping
with divine wisdom to give the Church
| that form which even from a natural
point Of view, was best suited to its
! supernatural end
The Church after Our Lords depart
ure was to continue the mission which
He began when He sojourned visibly
among His disciples. Now Christ on
earth was doubtless the visible head of
| the little community which clustered
around Him. But as the former visible
head of the Church He would have
/ been but imperfectly represented if,
after His death, the supreme power had
been vested not in one but in several
subjects.
Christ, moreover, after His departure
from this earth remained the invisible
head and pastor of the faithful q Pet ii
3d. while He was to be visibly repre-
sented by the authority established in
His Church. But Christ as the one in
visible head would be unfittingly and
imperfectly represented if the supreme
power were vested not in one, but in
several visible heads.
This perfect oneness of its visible
head best corresponds with the idea of
the Church presented to US under diff
ferent figures by Christ and the apos-
ties. The Church is shsep fold John
XII but in one fold there is but one
shepherd. The Church is a house e.
Tim. III 15); but one is the master of
house. The Church is a ship q Pet.
III POI, but a ship has but one pilot
The Church Is Christ's visible body q
r Cor XII. Eph. " 800, but body has
but one head.
Now, may l ask, is it possible for a
man who is acquainted with these
teachings of the gospel, to deny the
monarchical form given by Christ tc
His Church? 1t was the only form
known to the Jews who listened to His
teaching, because it was the form also
of their synagogus. 1t was therefore
the form to be expected for it and tc
be admitted unless clear and unequivo-
cal prove be adduced for the contrary
VI PROPOSITION.
The primacy of st. Peter in the
Church will endure forever.
From the idea of the Church as a
moral body must be inferred that the
primacy conferred on Peter was not
to cease with his death, but to pass to
his successors. For since such a moral
body does not die, but continues to live
by the Incorporation of new members
the Office of any member Of such a
body does not cease with his demise
but is transmitted to his successor
But the perpetuity Of the primacy may
be demonstrated also by special proofs
According to Christ's intention, the
power and constitution of the Church
were to last forever, as we have prov
ed in the third of our propositions; con-
sequently, the primary also viii endure
If it belongs to the constitution Of the
Church But that It does belong to the