Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.a
My dear Parishioners, Peace!
The ninth article of the Apostle’s Creed is “I believe in the Holy Catholic Church.” There are thirty-five (35) In Brief passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding this article of the Creed. The following is a reflection on article 804.
The Catechism focuses our attention here on 1 Peter 2:9: “You are therefore a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, an acquired People.” By His Incarnation, the Lord Jesus made manifest the choice of the Eternal Father of the human race. Some people happily focus on one or another race: Aryan, Black, Red, White, Yellow… Yet in the wisdom of God there is actually only one race, the human race. Another word for “chosen” is “elect.”
When we are baptized and made a part of God’s chosen race, we are given a three-fold responsibility: royal, priestly and prophetic. Saint Peter’s First Letter focuses our attention on the first two (2). When we consider the royal aspect of our lives in Christ we should recall that we are to live our lives in accord with the Commandments or Law of God (cf. Matthew 5:17–19; 22:40; Mark 10:19 John 14:15, 21; 15:10; 1 John 2:3- 4; 3:22, 24; 5:2–3; 2 John 1:6). Jesus Christ who has chosen us gives us the grace we need to keep the Commandments and to live our lives in conformity with His law of love (cf. John 1:17).
The Lord God choose holy families (think Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob…) and ultimately the nation of Israel (Genesis 6:8; 17:5; 21; 25:25). The Popes oversaw for centuries the Papal States (752–1870) and still oversee the Vatican City State (11 February, 1929). It is safe to say today that no one within thirty-six (36) county radius hold a passport from Stato della Citta del Vaticano. Sociologically what makes a nation? Language, borders, culture. The language of the holy nation had been Hebrew, then Greek, then Latin and now even with other vernacular, local languages. Better for us to think of the language of faith in whichever idiom, even if the Codex Iuris Canonici, the Missale Romanum and the like are still Latin texts. The Church is universal, that is Catholic, so national, state and city borders are not her defining marks even if parishes, dioceses and eparchies all have their proper borders.
The root of the word “culture” is “cult,” that is, worship. Here is our greatest distinction: we worship Trinity in unity, especially in the Sacrifice of the Mass. Of course, we worship Almighty God in all the Sacraments, but our fidelity to the Eucharist and Penance keeps us faithful to Baptism and Confirmation, Holy Marriage and Holy Orders.
When thinking of acquisitions we think of purchasing things. We have been bought and paid for at the price of Christ’s blood, we belong to Him (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:20). We belong to Christ as we belong to His mystical body and bride, Mother Church.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr