The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-03-06
What THE CATHOLIC CHURCH STANDS FOR
BY THOMAS cOAKLEY, DID,.
!; COAKLEY, D. D.

hell shall not prevail against it, and
1 will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound
in heaven. and whatsoever thou shalt
loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven" Matt. xvi. 49,
The authority of the one true Church
founded by Christ, the teaching office
of the Church, its duty of preaching
the Gospel, and of the necessity of the
faithful listening to and oheying the
commands of the Church, are truths
everywhere insisted upon in Holy
Scripture. The Catholic Church recog-
nizes that the inspired Word of God
in itself, and independent of the living
voice and divinely authorized interpre-
tation of the Church cannot be a safe
guide to eternal life. Nowhere in Holy
Scripture is the claim put forward
that the Bible contains all of the Word
of God in it's fu1ness; on the contrary,
there are several express statements to
the very opposite. St. John boldly
states that Christ did and said many
things which are not recorded in Holy
Writ. John xxi. 15.) Moreover, in
another place in His Gospel, the be.
loved disciple declares that the whole
world would not be able to contain the
books that should be written if all the
sayings and doings of Christ were &C.
curately and fully recorded. John
Xxx. BID Furthermore, We find in the
Bible other references to some of the
writings of the Apostles having per-
ished. One epistle of St. Paul to the
Corinthians Il Cor. v. 81 and one to
the Laodiceans are known to be lost.
(Col. Nv. 16.)
Authority Of the Church the Greater.
Hence the necessity for admitting
the authority Of the Church in religious
matters, over and above that of the
Bible. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of Christ" says
st. Paul to the Romans. from. K. 14.)
"And the things which thou hast heard
of me by many witnesses, the same
commend to faithful men, who shall be
fit to teach others ALSO" UI. Tim. ii. 81
Hold fast after what manner l
preach to YOU" q. Cor. XIV. 81 But
though we or an angel from heaven
preach a Gospel to you besides that
which we have preached to you, let
him be anathema." (Gal. i. 81 There
fore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the
traditions which you have learned,
whether by word, or by our epistle."
(II. Thess. ii. 14.)
Hence hearing the Church, listening
to its voice, obeying it's mandates, sub
hitting to its divinely constituted au-
thority, is the very test of Christianity,
and distinguishes It from all Individual
ISM. from all Independent, private and
authorized Interpretation of Gods
Law. ~
Christ founded Church, a perfect,
living, visible, permanent society, self
sufficient, self-governing and contain
ing within itself all that is necessary
for its existence. Christ exercises His
power through earthly representatives.
He selected twelve apostles and
charged them in His name to teach all
nations (Matt. xviii. 20) to offer sac
rifice (Luke xii. 19) and to govern
His flock Matt. xviii. 1S; John xxi.
~ The Apostles used the authority
committed to them while they lived,
and before their death they took meas
ures for the perpetuation of this prin-
ciple of government in the Church by
establishing hierarchy in the Chris
tian communities founded by them,
centuries before the world ever had
the Bible. The authority vested in the
Church is from Almighty God, and not
from the members of the Church. "The
Holy Ghost" says st. Luke (Acts Xxx.
2S), hath paced you Bishops to rule
the Church of God" The Church de-
rives her power directly from Christ,
through Apostolic succession, and not
from the body Of the faithful. The
Pope, Bishops and priests have their
power and authority from the Shep-
herd, not from the sheep.
The doctrines Of the Roman Catholic
Church are clean cut, precise, we'll de-
fined, sure and certain; there is no
quibbling or ambiguity; you always
know exactly where she stands on
every one of the fundamental and eter.
nal verities. Il shall be with you all
days, even to the consummation of the
world" Christ said to her (Matt. xviii
20), and the abiding presence of
Christ takes away all doubt. He sent
the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth,
upon the Roman Catholic Church,
making 1t possible for Catholics to
know precisely and without the posi-
bility of error just what Christ did
actually teach. This indwelling of
Christ and the Holy Ghost, remaining
with the Church all days, teaching it
all truth, safeguarding and protecting
1t from error, and making it the very
beacon light Of divine revelation, sin.
giles It out as the one and only institu-