The Vatican governs a global institution comprising 1.2 billion people. What is its model of governance?
At the center of church life and governance is the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides each member’s path of life to God through the sacramental system that imparts grace upon birth (baptism), growth (confirmation), correction (penance), reconciliation and reunion (communion), marriage, becoming a parent (ordination) and the end of life (final unction).
The Holy Spirit guides each person’s path of life to God through the church’s sacramental ministry.
God’s government thus does not depend upon human righteousness, but on God working through faithful practice of this simple system.
The sacrament of marriage does not release Satan’s grip on sexual love. Priestly exorcism is necessary to release each baby from original sin in preparation for baptism, by which babies are reborn, adopted into God’s family. For this reason, “citizenship in the City of God is determined at the individual and not the institutional level.” God’s ownership is of individuals alone, not of the institutions of marriage and family, nor of the larger institutions that these create. The Church embodies sibling love and symbolizes the other three family loves.
In terms of structure, the family participates in a local community (parish) headed by a priest. Parishes unite into diocese headed by a bishop, and diocese unite into larger assemblages up to the world level. The “charism,” the God’s grace in the Holy Spirit, passes through the filial connection from believer to priest, priest to bishop, and bishop to a hierarchy, finally to the Pope, the Vicar of Christ.
No one is sure who is really saved, but they assume at least some are.
Celibate priests and nuns—brothers and sisters—assume the position of parents in the church family. Entry into the priesthood is voluntary but demanding of study, service, self-discipline and approval by superiors, who stand in the position of parent. All priestly positions are granted by appointment.
The Church possesses the image of the four family loves, but in substance, all are siblings.
And no one is sure who is really saved. But Catholics assume at least some are, so the true Church is invisible.
We can ask, in terms of governance, what difference would the Holy Marriage Blessing make? As we see this to be an immediate and practical question, we may learn from the Holy See’s stewardship of God’s vision, so sacrificially sustained.
(Citations: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://www.iep.utm.edu/aug-poso/ – SH2a.)
Priestly exorcism is necessary to release each baby from original sin in preparation for baptism, by which babies are reborn, adopted into God’s family.
What??? can you please explain-this honest;y sounds like
Steve–sorry not to have checked this sooner! I read this years ago, and so I just double-checked. Here’s and excerpt from one article I found:
The Catechism gives the answer: “Since Baptism signifies liberation from sin and from its instigator the devil, one or more exorcisms are pronounced over the candidate.” (1237)
All humans are born with Original Sin (with the exceptions of Jesus and Mary). As the Council of Trent taught, this makes us “by nature children of wrath,” “servants of sin,” and “under the power of the devil and death.” When a person is baptized, they receive God’s grace and are translated from death to life, from the dominion of Satan to the Church of God. Thus, an exorcism is appropriate.
For those interested, here’s the prayer of exorcism in the baptismal rite, titled “Prayer of Exorcism and Anointing before Baptism”:
Almighty and ever-living God, you sent your only Son into the world to cast out the power of Satan, spirit of evil, to rescue man from the kingdom of darkness, and bring him into the splendor of your kingdom of light. We pray for N./and N. Set them free from original sin, make them a temple of your glory, and send your Holy Spirit to dwell within them. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The extraordinary form of the baptismal rite also includes a few minor exorcisms that are more explicit. Here’s an English translation of one of them:
I exorcise thee, unclean spirit, in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, that thou goest out and depart from this servant of God, N. For He commands Thee, accursed one, Who walked upon the sea, and stretched out His right hand to Peter about to sink. Therefore, accursed devil, acknowledge thy sentence, and give honor to the living and true God: give honor to Jesus Christ His Son, and to the Holy Spirit; and depart from this servant of God, N. because God and our Lord Jesus Christ hath vouchsafed to call him (her) to His holy grace and benediction and to the font of Baptism.
So if you were baptized in the Catholic Church, you’ve received an exorcism! (https://churchpop.com/2016/10/10/did-you-know-the-baptismal-rite-includes-an-exorcism/)