The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1953-12-11
just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or Insensidsrsts

On December g. 1854, Pope Plus TX. speaking tn
the whole Church in his official capacity as Vicar
OF Christ and nfallible teacher of the faithful in
matters OF faith and morals solemnly declared the
truth of the Immaculate Conception of Mary as part
and parcel of the faith itself. Such action of Pope
Is called defining doctrine of faith" or more
popularity, proclaimng dogma
Non-Catholics seem sometimes to think that Ca.
tholcs can never know from day to day what articles
of faith are going to be defined or proclaimed as
dogmas. They appear to suppose that the Pope is
free to pronounce whatever doctrines happen to
strike his whim as suitable for proclamation. Or
they seem to think that our belief is that God
inspires the Pope to speak in His name On all three
counts they are wrong.
Doctrines of the faith are never new The gen
ersl revelation of the faith was closed to mankind
with the death of the last Apostle. God placed in
the hands of his Apostles the precious deposit of
revealed truth to be delivered to the children of
the Church. and indeed TO all mankind. Like chest
of jewels, the truth contained in this deposit is a
single treasure; its items are not to be separated:
no jewel is to be discarded: no new gem is TO be
added. OF course, the fortunate possessor of the
treasure may advance more and more in apprecia-
tion of the value and beauty of what he possesses
He may learn more and more about the faith, even
the of the chest of jewels may see in them
constant new beauties he studies and sdmires
them.
Now. in the course of centuries, ii is inevitable
that some persons should raise question about this
jewel that in the indivsible collection Someone
may say, Il think this has been added; it is
fine enough, but fear il was not in the original
collection OF course If such thought becomes
settled general there is need of official and in
fallible decision the point. And God has guaran-
teed His Church, and, in particular the head of
His Church earth, to make that decision. When
such decision needs to be made, we have what is
called the proclaimng of dogma. A dogma is an
official teaching guaranteed infaible by the Found
er of the Church who is with her to the end of the
world
There are times when no doubt or discussion
about the right of jewel TO its place in the collee
ton is the occasion for proclaiming dogma II
may happen that some notable item of belief is mis-
priced neglected, that it seems necessary for
the glory Of God and the proper instruction of
kind that it be publicly officially and infably
proclaimed. Thus may say with fair accuracy
that the occasion for the proclamation OF dogma is
either the need OF mankind the glory OF God
In either case, the dogma proclaimed is not
new truth The proclamation settles the question
about the standing of old truth. To apply our
metaphor, the new dogma SettleS the point about
the old jewel in the collection settles IFS right
To be there part of the original deposit of treas
ure given into the hands of the Apostles settles
the fact that il is nice Jewel indeed but has been
put into the tressurecheSt by well meaning but mis-
taken hands.
To illustrate all this For centuries theologians
disputed the question of whether the truth of Marys
Immaculate Conception dhat is, of her being kept
free from all stain of original sin from the first
moment of her existence in the womb of her moth
er ST. Anne belonged TO the original deposit Of faith
by reason of its direct involvement in the doctrine
Of the Incarnation as diyiney revealed There were
saints both sides of the question, all of them
devout clients of Mary. For, remember, the question
not about devotion to the Mother of God but pre-
csey about the doctrine of the Immaculate Concep-
tion holy and pious beier or as revealed truth
belonging TO the faith itself.
When human scholarship had done its best and
when there danger that the faithful might gen
orally be in error the point. the Church spoke,
and the dispute was over. Pope Plus TX proclaimed
the dogma Of the Immaculate Conception. This as
have noted was December 3, 1854-a full
thousand years after the celebration of the feast
of the Immaculate Conception had been commonly
observed throughout the Church. We know now
and forever that belief in MaryS Immaculate Con-
ception is demanded by the faith itself, and is not
merely pious and entirely reasonable belief added
to the essential doctrines of faith.
NuNs the Eope III Hldhnls NilS iIudhlDiS ploVid-
nation was not inspired. Inspiration has TO do with
the work OF the Holy Ghost upon writer's of Sacred
Scripture. Nor the Pope following his own rea
sonng, his whim, in the matter. lie
speaking officially the Vicar of Christ, and the
successor of ST. Peter to whom Christ gave the in
falble teaching office in the infalliEe Church. For
how a fable Church lead men surely to heaven?
II the Church can go astray it may lead men astray
And how the Shepard appointed to feed the
whole flock lead them into the poison pastures of
error? BY virtue of his office, the Pope, when he
speaks officially, "a catRedra the saying u.s.
and speaks teacher of the universal Church in
Strncting all men in matters of necessary belief or
Christian morals, is infable. No specai revelation
from heaven is made TO the Pope; no inspiration"
guides him in his proclamation. And yet, by his
office, he speaks with the very voice of Christ who
is the infallible God.
on December of this year, the Feast of the
Immaculate Conception, and the 99h anniversary of
the proclamation of the dogma. We enter the cen
tenary year of that proclamation. This year has
been officially set by the Holy Father Marian
Year" or Year Of Mary OF course all Christian
life is Intimately bound up with Mary the Mother