Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:01 Okay.
Speaker 1 00:02 One more thing before I get going and just thinking, ah, it's great to be back, but a couple of things is just, uh, all the babies and young people. It's, it's so good. It's like a big tomb out in the world. I guess. I don't have to tell you that, but it's kind of shocking to me. Uh, how few babies that a person sees and day to day life, I mean, what a blessing it is here and just reminds me of that. So I just, I, I can't appreciate that enough. The other thing is that people deport themselves as human beings and show up like human beings to mass. I mean, that was the other part that was a little shocking and old timer back home. Uh, Westerners have a little bit different way of saying things, but as he said, you know, who needs to go to burlesque?
Speaker 1 00:45 All you have to do is go to Sunday mass. So thanks be to God. It's a, the way it is here. All right, well last week we took a brief look at Saint Peter's role in the foundation, the church. This morning. We're going to take some time looking at the role of the apostles in general. We'll start by looking at the meaning of the Word Apostle, which comes from the Greek in Greek. The word apostle means a man who's been commissioned, a man who's been sent on a mission and a dictionary tells us to commission someone means quote, to give authority to give a person the right or power to do something close. Cool. In other words, an apostle is a man who's been given authority, has been given the right in the part of do something by the proper authority. We all understand this concept anyway, it's, we have it right here.
Speaker 1 01:34 Now, suppose we see an army officer like a colonel, he's a commissioned officer. When he was commissioned, he was given authority. He's given the right and part exercises duties. Okay. Certainly no one has the right to calm self colonel. I mean, unless they're selling fried chicken or something, they can't walk around. Issue orders. A Walk around the u s military uniform like they have that rank. If he really doesn't, he can't appoint himself. He can't commission himself. He can't set himself up as a colonel in the U s army had to be given that commission to receive that power from the proper authority. In this case, I guess the president, right? Uh, this is some to remind ourselves of because in the case, apostles, they were commissioned by the authority. So we'll spend a few minutes answering the obvious questions. Who commissioned the apostles? What sort of mission were they given?
Speaker 1 02:23 What's your authority were they given? And just what are their rights and powers? So first, who commissioned the parcels? We all know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, God the Son. The second person was busted, truly commissioned apostles and sent them out on the mission. We can read about the commissioning of apostles if we open our bibles to the very end of St Matthew's Gospel at the very end to St Matthew's Gospel is a sections called the great commission. It's a very last lines in St Matthew's Gospel Chapter 28. Here we go. Matthew 28 16 and falling quote. And the 11 disciples went into Galilee, onto mountain where Jesus had directed them and Jews coming spoke to them, seeing all powers given me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore, teach you all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the holy ghost.
Speaker 1 03:14 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you. And behold, I'm with you all days, even under the consummation of the world. Close quote, the inspired, inerrant word of God. So what have we just seen? We've just seen our lord who has received all power on heaven and earth. We've just seen our lord using his power, his divine power to commission the apostles. They literally have received their mission from God, from God himself. So the answer, the first question is, who commissioned the parcels? Is Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ commissioned the apostles? The next question is just what sort of mission were they given by our Lord? Listen again to that part of that phrase, our lord quote, go there for teach you all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son. Holy Ghost, teaching them deserve all things whatsoever I've commanded you, and behold, I'm with you all days even to the consummation of the world.
Speaker 1 04:14 Close quote, God, the son, so he give it to him. The mission number one, to teach all nations all things that he got the senate commanded them. Number two, to baptize all nations. Number three, to do this for all time until the end of the world. All nations, all teachings, all time. The Great Catholic author Frank Sheet had some comments on this passage quote. There has been plenty of disputation about the word Catholic, but this one phrase of our Lord should've prevented most of it. Catholic is a Greek word, which means universal. Examining the word universal. We see that it contains two ideas. The idea of all the idea of one universal is some kind of unity that embraces all, some kind of way of having all in one. It's worth repeating. Universal is some sort of unity embracing all. Some way of having all in one, but all what?
Speaker 1 05:19 All nations. All teachings, all times. So our Lord says it is not an exaggerated description of the Catholic church. Not by the wildest exaggeration could be advanced as a description of any other church. Close quote, Frank Sheet Catholic is a Greek word, which means universal examining word university we see contains two ideas. Id of all, 90 of one universal, some kind of unity, embracing all, some kind of way of having all in one, but all what? All nations. All, all time. All in one Catholic. Okay. So our Lord has given the postures, the mission to go out and find the Catholic church, which will last until the end of time, which has a purpose of teaching all nations all things he's commanded, which has the purpose of baptizing all nations. Why should we care?
Speaker 1 06:20 Why should we care? Because of our actual situation as men, the scriptures are clear. Thanks to Adam. By nature, we're born children of Wrath. We've been sold into bondage to the devil. That's why it a baptism. What's the first thing we do? Exorcisms. Before the child was baptized. The very first thing we do, our exorcisms before the adult is baptized. The very first thing we do, our exorcisms to break the power that the devil has on this person before Christ comes into their life. We have to burn this into our minds and never, ever forget it. By nature, we are born children who wrath by nature, we are all members of a fallen race and that's a terrifying reality because if means we're just relying on our natural powers. When we die, our souls will fall into hell. It doesn't matter how we feel about it.
Speaker 1 07:25 That's just reality and naturally speaking, there isn't a thing we can do about it, not a thing. See, that's a situation we're in. There's not a single intellectual, technological, or physical way that individually or collectively, even everybody in the world can get us even one step on the way to heaven. We can't get that far. We can't get that far. All of us working together, pouring all our resources, anything we want, we can't get one millimeter closer to heaven. It's completely, utterly and totally beyond her natural abilities. We can't dream up some kind of meditation technique to reach heaven. We can't build a cannon to shoot us there or rocket to take us here. It's totally and completely beyond our natural abilities. No amount of money research, wishful thinking or where work can get assessability. It's totally above and beyond the reach of our nature. In order for us all to go to heaven when we die, it has to receive powers above its nature. Supernatural power is supernatural power only comes from God as his free gift and we can only get it in this life. What are we saying? We're saying if we die with this power, this supernatural power, our soul can get to heaven and once it gets their soul can live in heaven. If we die without this power, our soul can't to heaven, and even if it could get there, we couldn't live in heaven beyond our nature. If we die with a supernatural power, silken get what to heaven. If we die without this par or soul can't possibly get to heaven because it doesn't have the power to get to heaven, which means it will plunge into hell.
Speaker 1 09:17 If we die with his power, we can go to heaven. If we die without this power, we can't get to heaven.
Speaker 1 09:25 Frank sheet comments that the supernatural life is given a man in this life. What man does with it is the primary story of his life. Hold that thought. That's why the death of somebody like Ted Kennedy such a tragedy because he's baptized and then what did he do with that dignity when we had to pray for soul? Cause we can't be the judgment X. Generally we can certainly judge his actions. It's a complete tragedy. The only success in this life, if someone who has a good death, Saint Joseph Bendik Libray, he's a street person. Wan Ron covered with lice, great saint, great success. How many kings are burning in hell? And here's the guy that was caught with lies, walked around begging. That's a great say. The only success in life is a person who has a good death and only failure in life as a person who has a bad death, supernatural life has given him in this life and what man does with it is the primary story of his life.
Speaker 1 10:26 Everything else is incidental on the fringe of no permanent importance. When we come to die, we are judged by the answer to that one question whether we have the supernatural life in our soul. If the answer is yes, then to heaven, we shall surely go for the supernatural. Life is the power to live in heaven. If the answer's no, then we can not possibly go to heaven for we could not live there. When we got there, the name of the supernatural power, as we all know, is sanctifying grace. If we die without sanctifying grace, if we're not in a state of grace when we die, we can't go to heaven and we can't go to purgatory. If we die without sanctifying grace, we have to go to hell. We must never ever lose sight of this fact. Every time we pray the Hail Mary, we ought to be thinking about this when we say, Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death because all of our death is so essential.
Speaker 1 11:37 The most important thing that any one of us here is ever going to do is die. Everything about our religion is preparing me for a death. Why do we wear black? We're reminding you that we're going to die priests or walk around in black to remind you there's death and judgment coming. That's why I wear black all the time. So you'll think, wow, that has something to do with death and judgment. It's to remind us death and judgment. Have you ever wondered why the Gospel is called the good news? That's what the word means. Gospel, good news. Now we know we only start appreciate the good news when we realize what the bad news is. The bad news is that by nature, children of Wrath, the bad news is naturally speaking. If we don't have some help from God and the right kind of help when we die, we're toast for eternity.
Speaker 1 12:27 That's the bad news is naturally speaking, we're all going to hell. The good news is as he's come to do something about it, that's what it's called, the Gospel. Okay? We need supernatural help. We need supernatural power to get out of this mess and into heaven, and the precise means chosen by God himself to bring the supernatural power to us. Poor children of Eve tell us children of Wrath, the precise means God chose to continue. Christ's mission of bringing the saving part of mankind is the Catholic church. It's a church founded on Peter the Catholic Church. That's why the mission of the apostles matters. That's why it's ongoing. It's going on right here now. It'll continue to the crack of doom. Frank sheet quote, observed at the mission our Lord gave the apostles was to last until the end of the world. So do you speaking to them, not as themselves only, but as officials in his kingdom who should have successors until the end of time.
Speaker 1 13:24 Now look more closely at what he gave them to do. They were to teach. That is they were to communicate truth and they were to baptize. That is they were to communicate life. He who is the way in the truth in life, sends these men out to bring to the world his gifts of truth in life and to bring men to the way to, for in finding them. We find him where they are. He is. I'm with you all days even to the conservation world. This continuous presence of Christ with his apostles gives us a double guarantee. First the certainty that the truth in life we received from them, we are actually receiving from him and second <inaudible> so that we received from him. So their true truth and true life and second and even more vital, the certainty that in contact with them we are in contact with him. Close quote, Frank Sheet. Okay. Now let's ask what sort of authority with your passes given
Speaker 1 14:30 in order for them to carry out our Lord's mission of leading mankind to salvation? Our Lord gave the apostles three specific types of authority. These three types of authority given to the passes by Lord correspond to our Lord's own threefold office. Our Lord has a threefold office as Prophet priest. And in terms of a prophetic office, our Lord gave the deposits dock trinal authority. He gave the apostles the power to teach it his name. In terms of a priestly office, our Lord gave the apostles the ministerial authority. He gave him the power to sanctify in his name by means of the sacrament of holy orders. And in terms of a king, the office, our Lord give you apostles ruling authority. He gave him the POV jurisdiction, which has the power to rule the church in his name. So our Lord, who is prophet, priest, and King gave the apostles specific powers to teach powers, to sanctify powers to rule.
Speaker 1 15:39 Eventually we'll take a closer look at each one of these epistolic powers. But for today, there's one last aspect of the mission of the apostles to consider. And that's the difference between their extraordinary aspects of their mission and the permanent or ordinary aspects of their mission. K great pottery. So what's that supposed to mean? The difference between extraordinary and permanent aspects of their mission. The pastas were given a two fold mission. On the one hand they had to found the church. That's the extraordinary aspect to their mission and now on the other hand, they had to conserve and govern that church which was founded and see that it lasted till the end of the world. And that's the permanent aspect of their mission. So the extraordinary is founding the church. The permit is governing and ruling and making sure it last to the end of the world in terms of the extraordinary mission.
Speaker 1 16:28 Find the church, our Lord and trust a whole body of revealed knowledge to the apostles. This body of knowledge contains all that we have to believe in all that we have to do to be saved. That's what that body of knowledge is. It's called the deposit of faith in our Lord sent deposits out to preach this to the whole world. There was perfect equality between all the apostles, each and every one of them in regards to the formation of and possession of the deposit of faith, perfect equality. Now remember the deposit of faith said, body of knowledge revealed knowledge given by our Lord continue everything we have to believe and everything we have to do to be saved each possible was equally infallible. They all had the gift of infallibility. Each parcel had equal authority to establish local churches throughout the world. A diocese is a local church and because each parcel was infallible, as soon as he founded a local church, wherever it might be, be it an India or Greece or or or Spain or Africa. As soon as any apostle founded a church, he placed it under the supreme rule of Saint Peter. Now we've got an overview of the capacity's extraordinary mission, so let's consider quickly their permanent mission. The permanent ordinary mission apostles was to conserve and rule the local churches. Once they had been established and in this matter,
Speaker 1 17:50 the pastas were not all equal in this regard to pos us. We're all subject to Saint Peter. On the one hand, Saint Peter is a foundation. Stone of the Church had supreme independent authority over the entire church, everywhere in the world. On the other hand, the ordinary authority that pastas and conserving and ruling the local churches was dependent on that of Saint Peter and their authority only extended over the particular local churches which they themselves had founded. So Saint Peter has this universal authority. The apostles have authority over the particular churches they founded that's dependent on Saint Peter's authority. So in terms of the extraordinary aspects of the mission, pastas are all equal in terms of the permanent or ordinary aspects of their mission. The pastas were not all equal. They were all subject to and dependent upon Saint Peter. Okay. Before we close, it's really quickly review. We've seen an apostles and man commissioned by our Lord himself.
Speaker 1 18:52 We can read about this in the very end of St Matthew's Gospel, we've seen that our lord himself gave the pastas the mission to go out to all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son, the holy ghost teaching them everything he commanded for all time. That he gave them mission. Establish the Catholic Church for the specific purpose of bringing mankind to salvation for the purpose of extending the fallen man, this priceless gift of supernatural life, this priceless gift of sanctifying grace. We've seen that our Lord who's prophet, priest and king gave as the power to teach the power to sanctify in a pod ruined his name. We've seen it. He gave the pots as a two fold mission on the one hand to found the church, which is extraordinary aspect of mission on the other hand, to conserve and govern the church once it was founded and see that lasted to the end, the world.
Speaker 1 19:46 That's the permanent aspect of our mission. Let's close. There are a lot more details than what we've seen today, but a day we're simply trying to get a better idea of the role that parcels in general. The purpose of the past two sermons was to give us a big picture so each one of us has a big picture in mind. It give us each a framework to understand the church and her visible structure at the moment of foundation. As we go on, we can fill in the important details and there are important details. Sales today and everyday. Let us pray to keep the faith. These have been handed down to us by the apostles to keep this faith without which it is impossible to please God, keep the faith without, which is impossible to be saved.
