I was brought up Catholic and like to think I've always had a strong faith. My dad was the church musician for nearly 30 years, which no doubt had a major influence on me. I myself always enjoyed the many aspects of the Catholic life. The stories, the sacraments, the liturgy, and just the overall message of God's love. Granted as a kid I often found the church service to be boring and I dreaded holding and shaking hands with other people, due to my sweaty palms. But I still found ways to fully engage in the mass. I became a frequent altar boy, serving at least once a week (even for weddings and funerals). I also sang in the children's choir and later played percussion. So I got my heavy dose of church during these early years, at least 3 times a week, with multiple perspectives as a server, choir member, or just a layperson.
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I see the church as the light of the world, the institution that has endured over 2000 years of history. That in itself is worthy of immense respect, but it goes far deeper that its rich history. It's the teachings of the church, the doctrine and its theology, that help guide people to the light. Everyone wants to feel a sense of hope and righteousness, and that is the clear purpose of the church thru Jesus Christ. The church is basically the body of Christ, ministering all his teachings and sacraments for those who seek salvation. Their magisterium is all derived from the apostles, scripture, and theological study. While the church has undergone many civil disputes and doctrinal updates throughout its long history, the central creed has stayed the same throughout all of its history.
I have a fairly good understanding of the basic principles of Catholic theology as a lifelong follower. I've also written many deep studies on Christian history and biblical narratives. However it's one thing to know the stories and the history, but it's a whole different thing to fully comprehend the meaning of the teachings. So I've decided to make my first proper thorough study of Catholic theology as an adult. I felt this calling since the start of Lent, where I took on one of my deepest Christian academic studies yet. It began with my annual scripture reading, then a study on all the saints, a study on cathedrals, a study on Augustine of Hippo, and an ongoing study of Mariology (I'm currently posting a series of her many devotions). It was after reading about the doctors of the church that I felt this urge to dissect it all myself.
Throughout these studies I have been reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the ultimate guidebook to the Catholic doctrine. It basically lays out all the main pillars of Catholic theology which I’m going to discuss here. I intend to describe the facts but also use my own ideas to interpret it, since some of the doctrine can be quite vague or black-and-white. This is a huge topic and could probably be broken down into various pieces, but I wanted to tackle it all at once. Some areas might be more detailed than others, especially the philosophical concepts vs the ecclesiastical structure. Since it’s such a massive subject it’s likely I’m going to miss some other areas entirely. However I think this post should cover the bulk of the main teachings. I later intend to write a separate post about the historical development of this theological doctrine.
The Bible
The source of all Catholic teaching and doctrine is derived from the Holy Bible. It is broken up into two major parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. I see the Old Testament as the Jewish tradition while the New Testament is the Christian tradition. However the Christians ultimately believe in the same God as the Jews, thus the books of the Old Testament are seen as necessary foundation. These older books also hit at some of the deeper philosophical questions such as the creation, the original sin, God’s first Covenant, and his commandments (which are still applied by the Christians). Furthermore the Old Testaments books are filled with important prophecies pertaining to Jesus Christ, which makes the connection all the more vital. While there were early Christian movements that sought to do away with the Old Testament, such as Marcionism, this was ultimately rejected by the Church Fathers.
The original Hebrew bible before Christ consisted of 24 books broken up into the Torah (Law), the Nevi'Im (Prophets), and the Ketuvim (Writings). It is believed the majority was written by Moses, David, and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. By the 2nd and 3rd century the Church Doctors rearranged the structure into four parts; the law, the historical books, the wisdom books, and prophetic books. None of the books were removed, however a few were added such as the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, and the Maccabees. These all come from Greek sources, and thus the first edition of the Christian Old Testament was written in Greek with a total of 46 books.
The New Testament is considered the New Covenant God made with humanity thru Jesus Christ. Thus it's basically an updated creed, where God offers forgiveness and salvation to all (not just the Israelites). However Christ did not see this as a brand new religion but more so a fulfillment and continuation of the old Covenant. The fundamental doctrine of the church is mostly derived from this New Testament which reveals the life of Jesus Christ and the ministry of his apostles. The first part is of Christ's new teaching which consists of the Holy Trinity, the Beatitudes, and salvation thru his death and resurrection. The second part pertains to the ministry of the Apostles in spreading this word and building the church.
During this early development the Church Fathers had to decide which books made the cut and which ones didn't. This was an ongoing "doctoring" process, but eventually by the 4th century the structure we know it as today consisted of 27 books (all written by the apostles). This consisted of the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John; with some letters from Peter and James, and the majority of writing from the apostle Paul. Several apostolic books were rejected, since they were considered Gnostic and too abstract. Books such as the Gospel of Thomas, Philip, Truth, Judas, and Mary Magdelene put more emphasis on salvation thru secret knowledge. This did not align with the other writings that demonstrated Christ's open and public preaching of the truth. Other books such as the Shepherd of Hermas, The Didache, and the First Epistle of Clement were considered close contenders but not included since they were not written by the apostles.
The Holy Trinity
The most important pillar of the catholic teaching is the belief in the Holy Trinity. While it seems like a straight forward concept, it's also one of the most metaphysical concepts in Christianity. We know these three divine figures as God the father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Spirit. However I think it might often be overlooked that these are not three separate beings but are actually all the same God. Three divine persons that share one essence. I myself find this a challenging concept to grasp. First I think the term "persons" is misguiding since it sounds like three human beings. Then I find the relationships tricky since Jesus is referred to as the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from God and the Son. In that sense it sounds like three individual forces at work, where Jesus and the Holy Spirit are doing the ministry of God. So this is where we have to get our philosophical Augustine hats on to properly understand this mysterious truth.
The next aspect that can get even more difficult to comprehend, is was Jesus and the Holy Spirit with God at the beginning? However the Nicene Creed is perfectly clear on this part when it states that Jesus was "begotten" not made, and the Holy Spirit "proceeds" from the father and the son . It's almost as if they are three clones of one another, experiencing the same shared consciousness. So why this distinction of the "Son" if he was not born, but begotten? The church explains this with two concepts, the Eternal Son and the Incarnate Son. The Eternal Son was always the flesh and word of God since the beginning. And the Incarnate Son, indicates the moment where Jesus became flesh to save humanity. This mystery is known as the Divine Incarnation and gets even more tricky, since at this point God becomes both divine and human. (I'll get to that later).
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit" - Matthew 28:19. This is the most distinct reference to the Holy Trinity uttered by John the Baptist. Another important example is the baptism of Jesus, where the spirit descends like a dove, and the father speaks from heaven, thus uniting the three.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"- John 1:1. This basically claims that Jesus was there at the beginning and was the word of God.
"I and the Father are One"- John 10:30. This line from Jesus clearly states that he is of equal nature to God, and not just some prophet or demigod.
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" - 2 Corinthians 13:14. These words from Paul once again unite the Holy Trinity into one divine blessing.
Creation of Heaven and Earth
Augustine also concluded at a very early stage that God did not create the universe in 6 days, but rather in one instant. He created a universe of natural order that was governed by laws and total freedom, which falls in line with the scientific theories of evolution. The church considers the concept of 7 days as a beautiful allegory, and does not reject the theories of evolution or even the Big Bang Theory. Their case is that it doesn't matter if it's 7 days or 14 billion years ago, because in both scenarios God created the universe.
One aspect of the creation story that is often overlooked, is the creation of Heaven, since we put more focus on the creation of Earth. I think this is the far more interesting piece, since it pertains to the invisible spiritual realm. So according to the Holy Trinity, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were with God at the very beginning of creation. The heavens were then filled with angelic spirits such as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Lucifer. According to Thomas Aquinas, God revealed his masterful plan of humanity to the angels. Lucifer was considered the proudest and most intelligent of the angels, and felt offended that they should have to bow to a human (Jesus Christ). At this point, according to the Book of Revelations, a great rebellion unfolded and one third of the angels were cast down form heaven into hell with Lucifer (who became Satan).
The Fall of Man
The next very important aspect of the creation story pertains to humanity's original sin. This narrative from the Book of Genesis is still accepted and considered as vital doctrine by the Catholic Church. It is stated in the bible that God created mankind out of his own image. While we can only theorize as to the exact reason WHY God would create an earthly world of life, laws, and limitations, the best reasoning is out of Love. He created a free universe of natural order that also came with free will. With this balanced neutral system came the problem of evil, but according to Augustine God never created evil. Evil only emerged as an absence of good. It's the same idea where darkness is only an absence of light. Darkness is not its own thing, just as evil is not its own thing. But why even allow this privation to exist? Once again it pertains to love, where God wants us to chose him freely, which is true genuine love.
This first sin marked the fall of mankind where humanity lost their peace and harmony, but most importantly their gift of immortality. From this point on humanity is faced with the natural struggles of pain (physical, mental, and emotional pain), sickness, exhaustion, violence, war, and death. From this point on humans are natural sinners and it is engrained in their DNA. Their nature is to chose the easy path of instant gratification over the long term need of spiritual enrichment. Even after the allegorical flood of Noah, the covenant with Abraham, and the laws of Moses, this nature is irreversible. However it is also a part of God's master plan which sets the stage beautifully for the coming of the messiah to save humanity as the Divine Incarnation.
Divine Incarnation of Jesus Christ
Jesus was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary thru the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary was chosen as the Theotokos (mother of God) because of her pious nature which was part of her Immaculate Conception (born free of sin). Since Mary carried the son of God and was free of sin, she is considered the most important human being in the Catholic Faith (considering that Jesus was human and divine). I'll have more on the importance of Mary later on. The miraculous birth of Christ, is considered the Nativity and was quite the story in it's own right. Despite being of divine nature, Jesus was born and grew up as a child like a normal human being. He was raised by his mother Mary, and adopted father Joseph, and likely learned quite a lot from them about human nature.
Not too much is written about the childhood of Jesus, aside from his Finding in the Temple as a young boy where he was discussing theology with Jewish elders. The ministry of Christ did not properly begin until he turned 30 and only lasted about three years. All of these events pertaining to the life of Jesus Christ are detailed in the Gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The key to his ministry was that he recruited 12 apostles and many more followers thru his words but also his miracles. During this time Jesus presented God's New Covenant, thru the Beatitudes and his golden rules: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself". He preached of forgiveness and salvation for all humanity, not just the Israelites, which caused much uproar among the Sanhedrin.
The Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ
On the night before his death, Jesus shared a Passover meal with his apostles that became referred to as the Last Supper. This is considered another very important element of church doctrine where the sacrament of the Eucharist is born. Jesus presented the bread as his body and the wine as his blood. This was to be the ultimate reminder of his sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. After this Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and showed great emotional sorrow and fear. I think this is a very important scriptural detail that demonstrates the true humanity of Christ. I also think he was not so much afraid of the physical pain but more so this new sense of isolation, darkness, suffering, and death that was approaching. He knew of God's plan and yet the human side of him was afraid of this immense burden of sin he was about to carry. Later that night he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested by the Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin found Jesus guilty of blasphemy, but they themselves could not legally execute someone, so needed to convince the Roman governor Pontius Pilate to do it. Pontius himself was hesitant, however gave the final order to have Jesus crucified (as was the normal death penalty in Roman tradition). The Passion of Christ is another story in itself just like the Nativity, but I'm going to move along to his death. He was nailed to the cross on Good Friday with his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John the Apostle at his side. Once again he continued to display great human emotion on the cross, asking God the father why he had forsaken him. When Jesus finally died this marked the key atonement for humanity's sins. However it was not to be the end of the story.
The Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday is considered the most Holy Day in the Catholic liturgical calendar. This is Christ's triumph over death which proves that he is truly the son of God. It also serves as the ultimate example of eternal life thru him. Also of importance is that Christ doesn't go around boasting about his resurrection yet only reveals himself to his closet followers. They key reasoning here is to promote faith, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed"- John 20:29. It is thru faith in Christ's covenant, his death, and resurrection that humanity can be saved and also achieve eternal life. This is the core message of the Catholic Church.
Mother Mary, the Angels, the Apostles, and the Saints
While God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirt are considered the top tier of divine worship. There are also secondary tiers of holy figures that the Catholic church considers extremely important and worth veneration. The second tier, under the Holy Trinity, belongs to Mother Mary alone. Since she is not quite divine she does not fall at the top level of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. However since she is considered the Mother of God and the Immaculate Conception, she is in a level above the rest of humanity (considered the Queen of Heaven). She is also considered the New Eve, while Christ is the New Adam, meaning the redemption of humanity. The Virgin Mary is one of the most popular figures in Christianity with so many devotions. I won't spend too much more time on her since I am currently working on a five-part study of Mariology.
The fourth tier of the heavenly court would be the communion of Saints. These are considered the most holy human beings to have lived in the name of Christ, after the Virgin Mary. I just recently wrote a 9 part series on saints, and broke them down into categories. Not that their ranked in any sort of way, however I would make the case that the apostles and witnesses of Christ would be a little closer to God then the rest. This would include Joseph, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, John the Beloved, Mary Magdalene, and the other apostles. Next I would consider the Martyrs of extreme importance since they died in the name of Christ. Then there is the Doctors of the Church, that helped develop the Catholic theological doctrine as we know it today. There are also the Confessors, the Monastics, the Pastors, the Royals, the Virgins, and the Laypeople. All who who are canonized and venerated by the church as worthy of great honor and devotion.
The Magisterium of the Church and the Liturgy
The Catholic church serves as the institution that continues the ministry of Jesus Christ. It is considered the Mystical Body of Christ, like a portal or a channel between heaven and earth. In the Gospels Jesus builds his church thru Peter the Apostle. "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 16:18-19. This moment can be seen as the official birth of the church, and the start of the apostolic succession. Jesus presents Peter with a direct line to heaven and divine authority that can resist hell thru the power of this church. Thru this blessing, the Apostolic church is considered Jesus' successors, and all the ordained clergy that comes after, are a part of this succession line. This vital role is the final part of our procession of faith during the Nicene Creed, where we state we believe in "One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church".
The church provides many functions of teaching, sacraments, and charity but their most important role is the celebration of mass. The entire ceremony of mass revolves around the Eucharist liturgy (receiving the body and blood of Christ). The service opens with the Liturgy of the Word which includes scripture reading, hymns, prayers, and a homily reflection by the priest. The second part is the Liturgy of the Eucharist which is the consecration of the Body and Blood. The mysterious process where the bread and wine becomes body and blood is referred to as the transubstantiation. When the priest says the words Christ spoke at the Last Supper, it is believed that the Holy Spirit descends upon the bread and wine and converts it into the actual body and blood of Christ. At this point the congregation receives the body and blood during the Communion procession. To receive the body and blood the layperson must be in a true state of grace since this is considered the most effective way to receive Jesus Christ.
The Liturgical Calendar
The church is also set on a liturgical calendar based on seasons and holy days of obligation. This does not align with the Roman Calendar rather it's own annual structure based on the life of Jesus Christ. It is also based off the lunar cycle where Easter must fall on the first full moon after the spring equinox. This is in accordance with Jewish tradition for the feast of Passover. The purpose is also to celebrate Easter during springtime since this represents new life. So the calendar changes slightly each year depending on the moon's relation to Easter (however some feast days such as Christmas are set in stone). The year-to-year shift is usually no more than 2 to 3 weeks, and the calendar still maintains a fairly stable pattern.
The church encourages the attendance of mass every Sunday as is written in the 3rd commandment to honor the Sabbath Day. There are also sacred feast days and holy days of obligation where it is expected to partake in the Eucharist. The most important of course is the feast day of Easter followed by Christmas (celebrated on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day). The next major days of obligation include Mary, Mother of God (Jan 1), Ash Wednesday (1st day of Lent), Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Ascension of the Lord, the Assumption of Mary (Aug 15), All Saints Day (Nov 1), and the Immaculate Conception (Dec 8).
The Sacraments
Since humans are all natural sinners, the sacrament of Reconciliation is our way to ask God for forgiveness. This is an essential way to redeem the soul in daily life and is also necessary to be at one with Christ thru the Eucharist. The sacrament of Confirmation is our acceptance of the faith thru a deeper understanding. It's often considered a person's right of passage into spiritual maturity (similar to a Bar Mitzvah). The sacraments of vocation can be considered optional callings to Matrimony and Holy Orders which is considered a lifelong commitment. The final sacrament is the Anointing of the Sick which is a spiritual blessing thru oil as we prepare for death. This is not entirely required to make it into heaven, yet serves as a final blessing, baptism renewal, confession, confirmation, and eucharist all in one.
Sins/Vices/Virtues/Grace
The path to God is thru Grace and these virtues, however since we are natural sinners we often turn away from God. Sin is the direct opposite of grace, or as Augustine would put it the lack thereof grace. The church defines two types of sin; the mortal sin is where the act is a deliberate serious break from God, whereas the venial sin has less deliberate intent behind it (almost accidental). The church also defines seven habitual vices, in contrast to the seven virtues. This is pride, greed, lust, gluttony, wrath, envy, and sloth. All of these sins move us away from God and can only be redeemed thru sincere prayer and confession. Surprisingly the church teaches that there is no sin that God cannot forgive as long as the person is sincere in their repentance and mercy.
The Soul and Eternal Life
One of the principle teachings of Jesus Christ is that salvation thru him meant eternal life. This is of course the greatest mystery humanity has faced since the beginning of time. What happens after death? It is our greatest fear of the complete unknown. Yet thru his word and resurrection Christ demonstrated that this salvation could be achieved by all who follow him. This is the ultimate goal of every Christian person is to make it to heaven and live eternally thru God. However it's of course a very metaphysical concept since as we know scientifically, our body ceases to live after death. But what about the spirit and what exactly is this spirit?
It is thru the continuation of the soul that we achieve eternal life. Now the church defines eternal life in three key categories; heaven (communion with God), hell (separation from God), and purgatory (purification for heaven). It is believed that when we die we are faced with a divine judgement (known as the particular judgement). At this moment our entire life is illuminated (like a final flash or soliloquy) and the truth is instantaneously revealed. If the soul is pure of sanctifying grace it goes to heaven, if the soul has rejected God it goes to hell, and if the soul is flawed but mendable it goes to purgatory. Purgatory is considered the purification zone of heaven, like giving the soul a proper polishing before it is presented before God. Now it's important to clarify that this version of heaven, purgatory, and hell are considered the intermediate stage before the final judgement, which I'll get to next. But first I'd like to share some of my own further theories of heaven and hell (since the church can be fairly vague on a lot of this).
I've always been especially fascinated with the aspect of eternal life. I see heaven as the total perfection of the soul as God intended it to be, as it was in the beginning with the Garden of Eden. To me this notion of paradise means everything is at pure peace and harmony with oneself and one-another. I like to think we are reunited with all our loved ones and past acquaintances, where we see them in their truest spiritual form. I also like to believe that anything is possible in heaven, since we have now become infinite beings. We have the ability to fly to the depths of the universe, swim to the bottom of the ocean, and travel thru time for the sake of curiosity. I also sincerely believe that heaven, purgatory, and hell are broken up into tiers or rings, a spectrum of souls (similar to how Dante described in the Divine Comedy). God of course is at the central ring, Mary in the secondary ring, followed by the angels, the saints, and so forth. I also believe in upward mobility even for the unfortunate souls in hell. This is due to the eternal nature and the fact that God can forgive anyone who is of pure sincerity.
The Second Coming and Judgement Day
"Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds..." - Matthew 24: 30-31
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" - John 14:3
"This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" - Acts of the Apostles 1:11
"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and heavens fled from his presence and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great, and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done." - Revelation 20:12
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first Earth has passed away, and there was no longer sea. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying" Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. For the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!". - Revelation 21:1-5
With all of humanity standing before him, God then proceeds with his final judgement of all mankind. This is no longer a private revelation that was experienced during the Particular Judgement rather a public one that is shared by all. Augustine describes it as a revelation of not just your life, but the entire interconnected network of human history. The ripples and the domino effect that every act caused upon one another thru the history of time. Those already in heaven will proceed to the new earth as well as the righteous living. Purgatory will come to a close, and the purification of all souls in limbo will be complete at this stage. Those who are deemed for hell will take no part in this New Earth. This is the final closure of the human story and the official end of time. From this point on there is only eternity.
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