and Holy Spirit) in the soul of the individual person. The priestly (sanctifying) office of Christ and His Church makes the human soul disposed to the gift of divine grace, which makes one holy in the eyes of God.
The sacraments are the visible signs instituted by Christ to confer grace. For the faithful, the sacraments are the necessary vehicles of grace for the sole purpose of salvation. In an analogous way, the Church is what theologians call the primordial sacrament — that is, the sacred institution where the seven sacraments are bestowed. The Church and the sacraments both continue the sacred work of Christ’s redemption. The effects of the sacraments on the faithful create a bond of unity that is most visible in the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.
The prophetic office: Teaching through the Magisterium
The official term for the teaching (prophetic) office of the Church is the Magisterium (from the Latin magister, meaning “teacher”). The Magisterium is made up of the pope and all the bishops around the world in communion with Him. When the Church teaches on matters of faith and morals, she is infallible (free from error). But on matters of science, economics, astronomy, athletics, and so on, she has no charism (gift) of infallibility.
As we detail in Chapter 6, there are two levels of infallibility — ordinary and extraordinary — and the same levels apply to the Magisterium. Therefore, we have an Ordinary Magisterium and an Extraordinary Magisterium. Both are infallible in content, but here’s how they differ:
Ordinary Magisterium: These teachings deal with the consistent and perennial common teaching of all the popes and bishops (in union with the pope) throughout history. Examples from this office include papal teachings on birth control or the ordination of women; these are just retellings of guidelines that have always been taught by popes and bishops throughout Catholic history.
Extraordinary Magisterium: The name says it all; these teachings are rare. This level proclaims the Church’s stance on doctrines formulated by ecumenical councils, after meetings of all Church bishops, or after the pope has made an ex cathedra decree. There have been only 21 ecumenical councils and two ex cathedra decrees.
Church history buffs: Turn to Chapter 6 for the lowdown on what kind of teachings you can expect to come from the pope. Suffice it to say that the Church has a responsibility to its members to make sense out of the faith, and the Ordinary and Extraordinary Magisteria help Catholics get the word straight from the Vatican’s mouth.
The kingly office: Shepherding and governing through the hierarchy
Christ the King provided governance and leadership to his followers. The kingly office of the Church is to make sure that the Church stays organized with the right people in charge, just like Jesus set it up. The Catholic Church is an institution, and as with any organization, it has rules, procedures, and a hierarchy of authority.
The basic structure of the Church was given by the Lord when He formed His Church by calling the Twelve Apostles, who became the first bishops. Out of the 12, he chose a leader, Peter, the first pope (flip to the earlier section “Establishing a Foundation: Built on Rock” for more details). That’s still the example the Church follows.
Bishops and presbyters or priests (successors to the 70 disciples) are ordained to celebrate the sacraments (especially the Mass), to preach, to teach, and to minister in a local church (known as a parish). A collection of parishes in a geographical location is known as a diocese. The Catholic Church is made up of many different dioceses and archdioceses throughout the world. An archdiocese is a diocese than has the most people in relation to the other dioceses in that particular region. It is not per se the largest geographical territory, but it is the most populous and usually the most historical in that state or region. For example, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is the largest diocese in Pennsylvania. The other (and smaller) seven dioceses (Harrisburg, Erie, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Greensburg, Altoona-Johnstown, and Allentown) are called “suffragan” while Philadelphia is the Metropolitan Archdiocese. In addition to priests, there are ordained deacons who assist priests and bishops in their local parishes and dioceses.
The pope is the head of the Church and the bishop of Rome; as such, his seat of authority (cathedra) is the Basilica of St. John Lateran. He is also the head of the Universal Church, and his seat of authority is the Basilica of St. Peter, Vatican City. Cardinals are appointed by the pope and make up the College of Cardinals. As a body, this college advises the pope and, on his death, elects a new pope.
Because the structure of the Catholic Church is such a complex subject, we devote an entire chapter of this book to the subject: Chapter 6. For the whole scoop on the many people and departments that carry on the work of Christ’s kingly office, be sure to check out that chapter.
Membership Has Its Benefits
An old axiom states that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Belonging to the Church — being a member of the Mystical Body of Christ — has benefits beyond the imagination. Scripture says that eye has not seen and ear has not heard what God has in store for us (1 Corinthians 2:9). While we may not be able to comprehend fully what total union with God fully means, because we are united together as brothers and sisters, our joy will be more full and intense than if we were all by ourselves.
Although the Church is sometimes called the societas perfecta (perfect society), members of the Catholic Church are not in any way perfect or sinless. They are not better than people who do not belong to the Church. Instead, the phrase means that the Church is the source of all necessary divine truth and of all necessary divine grace. It’s one-stop spiritual shopping, you could say.
The Church provides for all the spiritual needs of a believer. For spiritual food, there is Holy Communion (also called the Holy Eucharist). For knowledge, there is divine revelation as found in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, entrusted to the Magisterium (teaching authority of the Church). For spiritual healing, there is the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, as well as the sacrament of Anointing the Sick. The Church hierarchy provides necessary leadership, and canon law is the source of justice and discipline. The needs of the individual and the needs of the community are perfectly fulfilled, meaning that members do not need to go anywhere else to fulfill their spiritual requirements.
