This is such an interesting conversation Bruce and I had with author John Salza!  We discussed this time around, “The Biblical Basis for the Papacy”.  Fascinating.

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You can purchase the book here

From the book description:

The Roman Catholic Papacy is the longest-living institution in the Western World – and at times one of the most controversial due to the basic doctrines of: Papal Authority, Papal Infallibility and Apostolic Succession. Drawing upon Old and New Testament Scripture, Tradition, and the words of the Early Church Fathers, author and noted Catholic apologist John Salza presents a comprehensive and compelling story of the office of the papacy from a biblical perspective. Arguments against the papacy are weighed and refuted in a charitable but convincing manner, making this a valuable resource for everyone intrigued or confused by the nearly 2,000 year old papal office – regardless of your faith background. Whether you are defending, questioning or exploring the Catholic Faith, this book provides the most concise and clear examination of the Catholic Church’s supreme teaching office as instituted by Christ, Our Lord and Savior.

I’ve had the blessing of reading many wonderful books, but this one in particular, has become a fast favorite!  Dr. Taylor Marshall has penned one of those works that you want to take the time to completely absorb, but also want to read quickly because it such a great story.  What a joy.  Filled with unexpected connections, rich in fascinating  details, and abundant with “I-knew-that-but-I-didn’t-know-I-knew-that” moments, Dr. Marshall’s gifted teaching and storytelling engages the mind and the heart of his reader.  He pours fuel on the fire of our ongoing conversion. This is a great gift to give to yourself and to someone you know who desires a fuller appreciation of our Roman Catholic faith. A must have for your Catholic library. (P.S. Scripture devotees and Patristic fans are going to LOVE this book)

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You can find the book here

Also check out Dr. Marshall’s “Canterbury Tales” website

From the book description:

Read this book if you have ever wondered why the Catholic Church specifically claims to be Roman? It would seem that the Church of Jesus Christ would be centered in Jerusalem, the capital of the Jews, since Christ died and rose again in Jerusalem. Catholic theologian Taylor Marshall, Ph.D. provides a layman’s account of how Christ chose the Rome as an instrument of redemption for the nations. Beginning with the Old Testament prophets, Dr. Marshall explains how the Messiah would come and assume reign over the nations through the Roman Empire. This book provides an exciting and popular account establishing Rome as ‘the Eternal City’ of Christ the King.

I could have listened to Dr. James Hitchcock all day, he is absolutely fascinating.  But the next best thing is to read his tremendous work, “The History of the Catholic Church:  From the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium”.  The content is the best, the layout makes it so very accessible, and the storytelling is engaging…a must have and a perfect gift for family and friends!  In our discussion, we discuss the influence of the papacy, Constantine, the 13th and 15th century, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, and so much more.  Not enough time, but so much fun.  Don’t miss!  One of my favorites of 2012!

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You can find the book here

“For years, James Hitchcock has been our premier historian – a dissident from conventional wisdom, well-armed and solid. Here he pioneers a new method for presenting a long sweep of history: an orderly and altogether fascinating series of vignettes – of arguments, movements, distinctive persons, and concrete events. There is just enough narrative in these sequences to carry the reader along, but without involving her in excessive interpretation. This book provides both a great resource for easy reference, and a stimulating definition of a Christian humanism that holds in tension the transcendent and the down to earth, the holy and the sinful. This is a tension which Hitchcock maintains throughout.”
- Michael Novak

Episode 14- Regnum Novum: Bringing forth the New Evangelization through Catholic Social Teaching with Omar Gutierrez – Pope Pius XI and “QUADRAGESIMO ANNO” , Pope Pius XII and the Radio Addresses.

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We live at a very special time. The confluence of many things has brought forth the clear need to be able to articulate the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church in a way that is accessible and applicable. This is not to be an effort where high-minded theories are to be bandied about. Rather, this is a time of opportunity wherein we can apply the Social Doctrine to the concrete so as to bring about a New Kingdom, a Revolution. – Omar G.

Pope Pius XI  (31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939.  He issued numerous encyclicals including Quadragesimo Anno, highlighting capitalistic greed of international finance, and social justice issues, andQuas Primas, establishing the feast of Christ the King. He took as his papal motto, “Christ’s peace in Christ’s kingdom”.

 

Venerable Pope Pius XII  born Eugenio Marìa Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (2 March 1876 – 9 October 1958), reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958.

Also visit Omar’s “Discerning Hearts” page Catholic Social Teaching 101

Primacy of Peter

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On this faith check let’s talk about our first pope, St. Peter.  I remember well a conversation I once had with a Protestant pastor who told me that if Peter were truly the first pope, he thought he’d see him exercising his papacy more in the Bible.

Peter was no ordinary apostle.  Peter’s name appears more than all of the other apostles combined and in every list of the apostles’ names, Peter comes first, while Judas Iscariot is last.  Peter pays the temple tax on behalf of Jesus and the apostles in Matthew 17.¹

In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is the one chosen by God to take the Gospel first to the Jews in Acts 2,² to the Samaritans in Acts 8 ³ and to the Gentiles in Acts 10.⁴ Peter performs the first miracle in Acts 3,⁵ pronounces judgment on Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 ⁶ and gives the decisive teaching at the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. ⁷

Every team needs a coach and every company needs a CEO.  Yes, Jesus is our King, but he also left Peter to be the head pastor of his flock on earth.

1 – vv. 24-27

2 – 2:14-40

3 – 8:14-24

4 – 10:1ff

5 – 3:1-10

6 – 5:1-6

7 – 15:7ff

 

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The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter is not so much a feast celebrating a “chair”, but more a feast celebrating what the chair symbolizes…the gift of the Papacy. I remember seeing it for the first time…not only the stunning piece used to preserve it  by Bernini…but the whole altar piece setting at St. Peter’s…breathtaking.  Almost every time I now see the presider’s chair at my local parish or the chair at our cathedral, I think of this chair, but also of the great unity it gives us with the entire Catholic Church under the leadership of the successor of St. Peter…our Holy Father.  God bless the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.  Praise be to God for the gift of the Papacy!

Take a listen to Dr. Matthew Bunson talk to us about the importance of this feast in the podcast above.

Also here is the text from the Holy Father’s reflections on this feast from 2006  from Vatican.va

“On this rock I will build my Church’

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, the Latin-rite liturgy celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St Peter. This is a very ancient tradition, proven to have existed in Rome since the fourth century. On it we give thanks to God for the mission he entrusted to the Apostle Peter and his Successors.

“Cathedra” literally means the established seat of the Bishop, placed in the mother church of a diocese which for this reason is known as a “cathedral”; it is the symbol of the Bishop’s authority and in particular, of his “magisterium”, that is, the evangelical teaching which, as a successor of the Apostles, he is called to safeguard and to transmit to the Christian Community.

When a Bishop takes possession of the particular Church that has been entrusted to him, wearing his mitre and holding the pastoral staff, he sits on the cathedra. From this seat, as teacher and pastor, he will guide the journey of the faithful in faith, hope and charity.

So what was the “Chair” of St Peter? Chosen by Christ as the “rock” on which to build the Church (cf. Mt 16: 18), he began his ministry in Jerusalem, after the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost. The Church’s first “seat” was the Upper Room, and it is likely that a special place was reserved for Simon Peter in that room where Mary, Mother of Jesus, also prayed with the disciples. Therefore, we have the journey from Jerusalem, the newly born Church, to Antioch, the first centre of the Church formed from pagans and also still united with the Church that came from the Jews. Then Peter went to Rome, the centre of the Empire, the symbol of the “Orbis” – the “Urbs”, which expresses “Orbis”, the earth, where he ended his race at the service of the Gospel with martyrdom.

…This is testified by the most ancient Fathers of the Church, such as, for example, St Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, but who came from Asia Minor, who in his treatise Adversus Haereses, describes the Church of Rome as the “greatest and most ancient, known by all… founded and established in Rome by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul”; and he added:  “The universal Church, that is, the faithful everywhere, must be in agreement with this Church because of her outstanding superiority” (III, 3, 2-3)….

Tertullian, a little later, said for his part:  “How blessed is the Church of Rome, on which the Apostles poured forth all their doctrine along with their blood!” (De Praescriptione Hereticorum, 36).
Consequently, the Chair of the Bishop of Rome represents not only his service to the Roman community but also his mission as guide of the entire People of God.

Celebrating the “Chair” of Peter, therefore, as we are doing today, means attributing a strong spiritual significance to it and recognizing it as a privileged sign of the love of God, the eternal Good Shepherd, who wanted to gather his whole Church and lead her on the path of salvation.

Among the numerous testimonies of the Fathers, I would like to quote St Jerome’s. It is an extract from one of his letters, addressed to the Bishop of Rome. It is especially interesting precisely because it makes an explicit reference to the “Chair” of Peter, presenting it as a safe harbour of truth and peace.

This is what Jerome wrote:  “I decided to consult the Chair of Peter, where that faith is found exalted by the lips of an Apostle; I now come to ask for nourishment for my soul there, where once I received the garment of Christ. I follow no leader save Christ, so I enter into communion with your beatitude, that is, with the Chair of Peter, for this I know is the rock upon which the Church is built” (cf. Le lettere I, 15, 1-2).

Dear brothers and sisters, in the apse of St Peter’s Basilica, as you know, is the monument to the Chair of the Apostle, a mature work of Bernini. It is in the form of a great bronze throne supported by the statues of four Doctors of the Church: two from the West, St Augustine and St Ambrose, and two from the East:  St John Chrysostom and St Athanasius.

I invite you to pause before this evocative work which today can be admired, decorated with myriads of candles, and to say a special prayer for the ministry that God has entrusted to me. Raise your eyes to the alabaster glass window located directly above the Chair and call upon the Holy Spirit, so that with his enlightenment and power, he will always sustain my daily service to the entire Church. For this, as for your devoted attention, I thank you from my heart. -Vatican.va

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It’s a story of a young man named Giovanni, a pope named Pius IX and a time when….well I’ll let Omar Guiterrez tell the story...(he’s the best kind of  “storyteller” because his stories are exciting, poignant, compelling and…true)

An excerpt from Omar’s Regnum Novum post entitled “Giovanni and His Rome Beneath the Surface”:

It would behoove you to know that at this time in history, not too much unlike our own, the idea that the Catholic Church as we know it actually existed before the Middle Ages was an idea largely held to be ridiculous. Certainly there was a Christianity. But surely nothing like the Church of Rome. The scathing writing of the Enlightenment thinkers from the late 18th and throughout the 19th centuries had convinced most people that the priesthood, and much more so the papacy, was a Roman Catholic myth, invented to justify their inherently corrupting hold on power. Any notion from the average man that these existed before the stupefyingly dark ages of Medieval ignorance was mere pious idiocy. Even before this time, Martin Luther wrote, in his book titled Against the Roman Papacy Instituted by the Devil (catchy title no?),

I am content to be able to say, since I have seen it and heard it at Rome, that it is unknown where in the city the bodies of Saint Peter and Paul are located, or even whether they are there at all. Even the Pope and the cardinals know very well that they do not know.

Yet, in this world of legends and stories Giovanni lived in youthful and pious bliss. So it was that one fine Spring day in 1849, the same year that the Communist Manifesto was published, and at the ripe old age of 22, whilst the Roman birds sung their sweet songs of vernal joy to travelers on the ancient Appian road, Giovanni came across a piece of marble, which looked something very much like this:

Pieces of marble were constantly being found by farmers in the area. It is just a part of living in that world where history grows from the ground like the leaves of the acanthus plant that decorates the Mediterranean. This marble was probably dug up by the farmer attempting to ready his field for planting, and he tossed it toward the road. As fate – or should I say God’s good grace – would have it Giovanni, with all his peculiar knowledge, came across it on this day and at this hour. He examined the thing and began to wonder, as only a youthful lad can and does.

He recalled from his vast reading the legend of a Pope Cornelius who had been sentenced to exile by the new emperor Gallus. The emperor was a useless fellow, who had been put into power by the Roman army after the death of the Christian-hating Decius only to be killed by that same army two years later. Poor Pope Cornelius died in exile but was referred to in the martyrologies as not just a confessor but as a martyr. Furthermore, this Pope Cornelius, who reigned as the vicar of Christ from 251-253 was said to have been brought back to Rome and buried in the legendary Crypt of the Popes in the catacomb of St. Callistus. So perhaps, thought the youthful Italian lad, perhaps this is a marker for Pope Cornelius’ grave, which would mean that he’s buried in that field somewhere, which would mean that underneath lies not just the mythic Crypt of the Popes but also the original burial place of St. Cecilia, who was later moved to the Church in Trastevere that still bears her name, and all sorts of wonders within the famed – but never discovered – catacomb of St. Callistus. Yes, this was the reasoning of young Giovanni. This was the thought process of a young lad who had not lived long enough to know that silly dreams of an ancient Church were passé and never mentioned in polite company. These were the musings of a boy who dreamed to discover something true in an age of cynical doubting. And these were the notions that Giovanni Battista de Rossi took to Pope Pius IX.

To hear the whole story take a listen, and then visit Regnum Novum for the complete text and images…it’s get’s better…it’s SO touching and compelling…and it’s true

Dr. Matthew Bunson, Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, is one of the United States’ leading authorities on the papacy and the Church.

His books include: The Encyclopedia of Catholic History; The Encyclopedia of Saints; Papal Wisdom; All Shall Be Well; Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire; and The Angelic Doctor: The Life and World of St. Thomas Aquinas; The Pope Encyclopedia; We Have a Pope! Benedict XVI, the first Catholic biography of the Holy Father in the English language; and most recently, St. Damien of Molokai: Apostle of the Exiled.

He is presently completing The Encyclopedia of the American Catholic Church for Our Sunday Visitor.

More audio just touch link

• Dr. Matthew Bunson 02-03-09.mp3
• Dr. Matthew Bunson 02-10-09.mp3
• Dr. Matthew Bunson 2006 Year in Review.mp3
• Dr. Matthew Bunson Chair of St. Peter.mp3
• Dr. Matthew Bunson Crusades.mp3
• Dr. Matthew Bunson Pioneers of Faith Segment.mp3
• Matthew Bunson St. Damien.MP3

• 04-18-08 Dr. Matthew Bunson – Pope Benedict’s Visit.mp3
• 05-11-09 Dr. Matthew Bunson – Holy Land Pilgrimage.mp3

Dr. Bunson is on the faculty of the Catholic Distance University where he teaches Church History, including Catholic-Islamic relations and Medieval and American Catholic History. In addition, he is a contributing editor and columnist for This Rock magazine and moderator of the Church History forum for EWTN.com.

Dr. Bunson has also served as a consultant to MSNBC, NBC News, CBS Radio, and the BBC, as well as other media outlets. He was special consultant on Catholic affairs for USA Today during its coverage of the 2005 papal funeral and conclave. He appears regularly as a guest on Relevant Radio and Catholic Answers Live and hosts the radio program “Faithworks” for Redeemer Radio.

He earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation, and also holds a B.A. in History, an M.A. in Theology, and a Master of Divinity degree. He is presently working toward a Ph.D. in Church History from the Graduate Theological Foundation.  Dr. Bunson lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana

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Episode 8 – The Papacy:  The Apostolic Throne

Roots of the Faith – From the Church Fathers to You with Mike Aquilina, makes clear that just as an acorn grows into a tree and yet remains the same plant, so the Catholic Church is a living organism that has grown from the faith of the earliest Christians into the body of  Christ we know today. Hosted by Kris McGregor

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Pick up a copy of Mke’s book.  You’ll find so much more and invaluable references and resoources, as well

Also visit Mike’s “Discerning Hearts” page for more audio downloads and information!

I love talking with John Salza…tough doctrine and dogma that for most of us is difficult to explain, is just so easy for John.  And he shares his knowledge with all of us…what a gift!

John’s website is www.scripturecatholic.com

Check out John’s book here

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From the book description:

In The Biblical Basis for Purgatory,  John  offers the definitive scriptural explanation of this distinctively Catholic doctrine. Building on the teachings of Christ and St. Paul, he shows how the existence of a place of temporal punishment after death is not only a logical extension of what we know about the reality of sin and God’s justice, but is also a supreme expression of God’s love and mercy. Although Purgatory is a place of mercy, its pains are real, and they are severe. This book does more than defend and explain Purgatory it provides a solid plan, drawn from the Church s perennial wisdom for conquering our sins by God s grace, while still on earth.