Xploring Our Heart Links

The Christian Schools
CATHOLIC

- HISTORICAL BACKGROUND -
(Click above for historical information)

- SPIRITUAL MESSAGE -

As Guatemalan benefit from the help of Spokane parishioners,
a local Catholic with Latin American ties finds her faith in the church renewed.

It took me by surprise. A lady from the South Hill was talking about Guatemala. It was not about a Spanish language school or a tour to the Mayan ruins. Esther Luce was talking lovingly about real people, about Maya-Quiché Indians. This lady showed me pictures of beautiful children dressed with all the colors of the rainbow. I noticed the kid in the front was lacking an eye. There was an empty whiteness where the left eye should have been. As an active member of our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Spokane, Esther Luce has visited the village of Tzamjuyub in Guatemala. She was president of the Sister Parish Committee for two years. The Catholic Diocese of Spokane has been present in Guatemala for more than 37 years.

Like many Latin people, I was born a Catholic and that word has defined me in regards to religion. Being Catholic does not necessarily mean belonging to a certain parish or go to Mass every Sunday. For many of us Catholicism is a cultural trait, more of a legacy passed in the family.

The Spokane-Guatemala connection triggered my interest. So, a few months ago, I went to Sunday Mass to hear Father David Baronti, who happened to be in town. He is a Spokane Diocese priest serving as a missionary in Guatemala.

As soon as my fingers touched the blessed water, I remembered the priests of my childhood in Huancayo, the city in the Andes where I grew up. People knew they were the essence of hypocrisy covered in long black tunics. Every Sunday the parishioners trembled with fear hearing the stern voice of the curas resounding in the church. People kept being reprimanded for their sins of lust.

As a child, I felt overwhelmed with awe and guilt every time I entered the Cathedral. I thought the wounds of the crucified Christ were my fault.

“Endure patiently your misery on earth, there will be rewards in heaven,” the priests would say to the poor and suffering.

But the sermons of those preachers did not acknowledge the church’s sins. The representatives of God on earth were big landowners in city and country. They lived in luxury and aligned with the rich. Some lived in sin and condemned their partners to public disdain and their children to illegitimacy. “I believe in God but not in the church,” was the reasoning for many Catholics who were aware of these not-very-well-kept secrets. My own parents, being Catholic, sent us children to Methodist schools.

Fortunately, changes shook the Catholic Church to its foundations. From the highest peak of the hierarchy and from the grass-root movement, the progressive forces in the church began to overcome its great sins. For three decades now in Peru, the action of the church has striven to be more centered in attending basic human needs, in taking sides with the poor. Recently, the Bishops of Brazil announced their decision to donate part of their lands to be used in agrarian reform projects. And it was in Latin America that the Theology of Liberation was created. Some years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a baptism conducted by Gustavo Gutierrez, the main philosopher of the Theology of Liberation, a fellow Peruvian. He linked the symbolic elements in the Christianization of the baby with the condition of people and the role of the church.

But let us go back to Father David Baronti preaching some Sundays ago at Mass in the South Hill. I have to admit my prejudice. I thought the position of the Diocese of Spokane was kind of lukewarm in social issues. To judge from Father Baronti’s address, not at all. He reminded his listeners about the economic forces behind the poverty of the Maya-Quiché Indians—amongst whom he works and lives.

There was so much to say in such a short time! The lands South of the border are so rich in resources, he said, that greedy companies want to wipe the native peoples off from the face of the earth to exploit their forests, their mines. People of the affluent societies cannot say they are out of this picture. The car we drive to work is forged in metals from their mines and it rides over rubber extracted from tropical trees. There is no place to hide from these facts. We are connected, whether we wanted it or not. We might lock ourselves in our pretty houses and sit in front of a TV set or a computer, but these appliances hide the metallic wires and chips and also hours of delicate human work. Are those laborers getting a fair wage? When we give to the people of Guatemala, concluded Father Baronti, it is only a token of reparation for all we take from them.

Three decades ago, the Catholic Diocese of Spokane started implementing its sister-parishes. The idea was to connect an affluent parish with a needy one. It was then that the Our Lady of Fatima was connected to their first sister parish in the dioceses of Solalá in Guatemala.

In 1966, Father O’Halloran was begging for a large truck and trailer, loading it with all kinds of tools, medicines and other supplies collected in Spokane and needed in the mission parish. And in the mountains of Solalá, Father Mertens was trying a new type of apple trees, digging a well, putting in a water system. He was accompanying the villagers in their struggles to get electricity 24 hours a day. Many programs have been established in this 37 years of sister-parishes: schools, clinics, trout ponds, rabbit breeding. Some programs worked well, some had to be corrected or abandoned.  In all these sister-parishes, many people have invested creativity, resources and efforts. Guatemala has endured violence, earthquakes, epidemics and persecution during this 37 years. The relationship with the people Spokane must have given them hope. And the people of Guatemala reciprocate with beautiful gestures of gratitude. For instance, at the 25th anniversary of this connection, the parish of Fatima was presented with a parchment signed by more than 70 young professionals. They had been educated with the help of Fatima parishioners.

I think missionaries like Father Baronti, ladies like Esther Luce, and the people who sustain these movements, are changing and elevating the conventional concept of the word “mission.”

It is exciting to see the changes my old Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church is undergoing, to watch the evolution which seems to be taking the church back to its original Christian sources. I read about the things the Catholics of Fatima are involved in, I read the responses of the people from Tzamjuyub, and I see human connection and Christian love. I then feel pride at having been born a Catholic.

Jesus said his Church would be "the light of the world." He then noted that "a city set on a hill cannot be hid" (Matt. 5:14). This means his Church is a visible organization. It must have characteristics that clearly identify it and that distinguish it from other churches. Jesus promised, "I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). This means that his Church will never be destroyed and will never fall away from him. His Church will survive until his return.

Among the Christian churches, only the Catholic Church has existed since the time of Jesus. Every other Christian church is an offshoot of the Catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox churches broke away from unity with the pope in 1054. The Protestant churches were established during the Reformation, which began in 1517. (Most of today’s Protestant churches are actually offshoots of the original Protestant offshoots.)

Only the Catholic Church existed in the tenth century, in the fifth century, and in the first century, faithfully teaching the doctrines given by Christ to the apostles, omitting nothing. The line of popes can be traced back, in unbroken succession, to Peter himself. This is unequaled by any institution in history.

Even the oldest government is new compared to the papacy, and the churches that send out door-to-door missionaries are young compared to the Catholic Church. Many of these churches began as recently as the nineteenth or twentieth centuries. Some even began during your own lifetime. None of them can claim to be the Church Jesus established.

The Catholic Church has existed for nearly 2,000 years, despite constant opposition from the world. This is testimony to the Church’s divine origin. It must be more than a merely human organization, especially considering that its human members— even some of its leaders—have been unwise, corrupt, or prone to heresy.

Any merely human organization with such members would have collapsed early on. The Catholic Church is today the most vigorous church in the world (and the largest, with a billion members: one sixth of the human race), and that is testimony not to the cleverness of the Church’s leaders, but to the protection of the Holy Spirit.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH

Jesus chose the apostles to be the earthly leaders of the Church. He gave them his own authority to teach and to govern—not as dictators, but as loving pastors and fathers. That is why Catholics call their spiritual leaders "father." In doing so we follow Paul’s example: "I became your father in Jesus Christ through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:15).

The apostles, fulfilling Jesus’ will, ordained bishops, priests, and deacons and thus handed on their apostolic ministry to them—the fullest degree of ordination to the bishops, lesser degrees to the priests and deacons.

The Pope and Bishops (CCC 880–883)
Jesus gave Peter special authority among the apostles (John 21:15–17) and signified this by changing his name from Simon to Peter, which means "rock" (John 1:42). He said Peter was to be the rock on which he would build his Church (Matt. 16:18).

In Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, Simon’s new name was Kepha (which means a massive rock). Later this name was translated into Greek as Petros (John 1:42) and into English as Peter. Christ gave Peter alone the "keys of the kingdom" (Matt. 16:19) and promised that Peter’s decisions would be binding in heaven. He also gave similar power to the other apostles (Matt. 18:18), but only Peter was given the keys, symbols of his authority to rule the Church on earth in Jesus’ absence.

Christ, the Good Shepherd, called Peter to be the chief shepherd of his Church (John 21:15–17). He gave Peter the task of strengthening the other apostles in their faith, ensuring that they taught only what was true (Luke 22:31–32). Peter led the Church in proclaiming the gospel and making decisions (Acts 2:1– 41, 15:7–12).

Early Christian writings tell us that Peter’s successors, the bishops of Rome (who from the earliest times have been called by the affectionate title of "pope," which means "papa"), continued to exercise Peter’s ministry in the Church.

The pope is the successor to Peter as bishop of Rome. The world’s other bishops are successors to the apostles in general.

Jesus promised he would not leave us orphans (John 14:18) but would send the Holy Spirit to guide and protect us (John 15:26). He gave the sacraments to heal, feed, and strengthen us. The seven sacraments —baptism, the Eucharist, penance (also called reconciliation or confession), confirmation, holy orders, matrimony, and the anointing of the sick—are not just symbols. They are signs that actually convey God’s grace and love.

The sacraments were foreshadowed in the Old Testament by things that did not actually convey grace but merely symbolized it (circumcision, for example, prefigured baptism, and the Passover meal prefigured the Eucharist. When Christ came, he did not do away with symbols of God’s grace. He supernaturalized them, energizing them with grace. He made them more than symbols.

God constantly uses material things to show his love and power. After all, matter is not evil. When he created the physical universe, everything God created was "very good" (Gen. 1:31). He takes such delight in matter that he even dignified it through his own Incarnation (John 1:14).

During his earthly ministry Jesus healed, fed, and strengthened people through humble elements such as mud, water, bread, oil, and wine. He could have performed his miracles directly, but he preferred to use material things to bestow his grace.

In his first public miracle Jesus turned water into wine, at the request of his mother, Mary (John 2:1–11). He healed a blind man by rubbing mud on his eyes (John 9:1–7). He multiplied a few loaves and fish into a meal for thousands (John 6:5–13). He changed bread and wine into his own body and blood (Matt. 26:26– 28). Through the sacraments he continues to heal, feed, and strengthen us.

Baptism (CCC 1213–1284)
Because of original sin, we are born without grace in our souls, so there is no way for us to have fellowship with God. Jesus became man to bring us into union with his Father. He said no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is first born of "water and the Spirit" (John 3:5)—this refers to baptism.

Through baptism we are born again, but this time on a spiritual level instead of a physical level. We are washed in the bath of rebirth (Titus 3:5). We are baptized into Christ’s death and therefore share in his Resurrection (Rom. 6:3–7).

Baptism cleanses us of sins and brings the Holy Spirit and his grace into our souls (Acts 2:38, 22:16). And the apostle Peter is perhaps the most blunt of all: "Baptism now saves you" (1 Pet. 3:21). Baptism is the gateway into the Church.

Penance (CCC 1422–1498)
Sometimes on our journey toward the heavenly promised land we stumble and fall into sin. God is always ready to lift us up and to restore us to grace-filled fellowship with him. He does this through the sacrament of penance (which is also known as confession or reconciliation).

Jesus gave his apostles power and authority to reconcile us to the Father. They received Jesus’ own power to forgive sins when he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained" (John 20:22–23).

Paul notes that "all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation. . . . So, we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us" (2 Cor. 5:18–20). Through confession to a priest, God’s minister, we have our sins forgiven, and we receive grace to help us resist future temptations.

The Eucharist (CCC 1322–1419)
Once we become members of Christ’s family, he does not let us go hungry, but feeds us with his own body and blood through the Eucharist. In the Old Testament, as they prepared for their journey in the wilderness, God commanded his people to sacrifice a lamb and sprinkle its blood on their doorposts, so the Angel of Death would pass by their homes. Then they ate the lamb to seal their covenant with God.

This lamb prefigured Jesus. He is the real "Lamb of God," who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Through Jesus we enter into a New Covenant with God (Luke 22:20), who protects us from eternal death. God’s Old Testament people ate the Passover lamb. Now we must eat the Lamb that is the Eucharist. Jesus said, "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life within you" (John 6:53).

At the Last Supper he took bread and wine and said, "Take and eat. This is my body . . . This is my blood which will be shed for you" (Mark 14:22–24). In this way Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrificial meal Catholics consume at each Mass.

The Catholic Church teaches that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross occurred "once for all"; it cannot be repeated (Heb. 9:28). Christ does not "die again" during Mass, but the very same sacrifice that occurred on Calvary is made present on the altar. That’s why the Mass is not "another" sacrifice, but a participation in the same, once-for-all sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

Paul reminds us that the bread and the wine really become, by a miracle of God’s grace, the actual body and blood of Jesus: "Anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself" (1 Cor. 11:27–29).

After the consecration of the bread and wine, no bread or wine remains on the altar. Only Jesus himself, under the appearance of bread and wine, remains.

Confirmation (CCC 1285–1321)
God strengthens our souls in another way, through the sacrament of confirmation. Even though Jesus’ disciples received grace before his Resurrection, on Pentecost the Holy Spirit came to strengthen them with new graces for the difficult work ahead.

They went out and preached the gospel fearlessly and carried out the mission Christ had given them. Later, they laid hands on others to strengthen them as well (Acts 8:14–17). Through confirmation you too are strengthened to meet the spiritual challenges in your life.

Matrimony (CCC 1601–1666)
Most people are called to the married life. Through the sacrament of matrimony God gives special graces to help married couples with life’s difficulties, especially to help them raise their children as loving followers of Christ.

Marriage involves three parties: the bride, the groom, and God. When two Christians receive the sacrament of matrimony, God is with them, witnessing and blessing their marriage covenant. A sacramental marriage is permanent; only death can break it (Mark 10:1–12, Rom. 7:2–3, 1 Cor. 7:10–11). This holy union is a living symbol of the unbreakable relationship between Christ and his Church (Eph. 5:21–33).

Holy Orders (CCC 1536–1600)
Others are called to share specially in Christ’s priesthood. In the Old Covenant, even though Israel was a kingdom of priests (Exod. 19:6), the Lord called certain men to a special priestly ministry (Exod. 19: 22). In the New Covenant, even though Christians are a kingdom of priests (1 Pet. 2:9), Jesus calls certain men to a special priestly ministry (Rom. 15:15–16).

This sacrament is called holy orders. Through it priests are ordained and thus empowered to serve the Church (2 Tim. 1:6–7) as pastors, teachers, and spiritual fathers who heal, feed, and strengthen God’s people—most importantly through preaching and the administration of the sacraments.

Anointing of the Sick (CCC 1499–1532)
Priests care for us when we are physically ill. They do this through the sacrament known as the anointing of the sick. The Bible instructs us, "Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. . . . Is any one among you sick? He should summon the presbyters [priests] of the Church, and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven" (Jas. 5:14–15). Anointing of the sick not only helps us endure illness, but it cleanses our souls and helps us prepare to meet God.

One of the most important activities for a Catholic is prayer. Without it there can be no true spiritual life. Through personal prayer and the communal prayer of the Church, especially the Mass, we worship and praise God, we express sorrow for our sins, and we intercede on behalf of others (1 Tim. 2:1–4). Through prayer we grow in our relationship with Christ and with members of God’s family (CCC 2663–2696).

This family includes all members of the Church, whether on earth, in heaven, or in purgatory. Since Jesus has only one body, and since death has no power to separate us from Christ (Rom. 8:3–8), Christians who are in heaven or who, before entering heaven, are being purified in purgatory by God’s love (1 Cor. 3:12–15) are still part of the Body of Christ (CCC 962).

Jesus said the second greatest commandment is to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:39). Those in heaven love us more intensely than they ever could have loved us while on earth. They pray for us constantly (Rev. 5:8), and their prayers are powerful (Jas. 5:16, CCC 956, 2683, 2692).

Our prayers to the saints in heaven, asking for their prayers for us, and their intercession with the Father do not undermine Christ’s role as sole Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). In asking saints in heaven to pray for us we follow Paul’s instructions: "I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone," for "this is good and pleasing to God our Savior" (1 Tim. 2:1–4).

All members of the Body of Christ are called to help one another through prayer (CCC 2647). Mary’s prayers are especially effective on our behalf because of her relationship with her Son (John 2:1–11).

God gave Mary a special role (CCC 490–511, 963– 975). He saved her from all sin (Luke 1:28, 47), made her uniquely blessed among all women (Luke 1:42), and made her a model for all Christians (Luke 1:48). At the end of her life he took her, body and soul, into heaven—an image of our own resurrection at the end of the world (Rev. 12:1–2).

This is an edited version from the booklet called "Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth". The complete text can be found at: http://www.catholic.com, as well as other information and links to catholic sites and resources.

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