COUNCIL OF TRENT_SYNOD.pdf

COUNCIL OF TRENT/SYNOD dogma; so, it is a wrong teaching. Introduction: Schism The Church will grow and expand from - Separation or division in the Church. Jerusalem to all parts of the worl...

COUNCIL OF TRENT/SYNOD dogma; so, it is a wrong teaching. Introduction: Schism The Church will grow and expand from - Separation or division in the Church. Jerusalem to all parts of the world. In the - Example: protestant from Catholic process of growing as a big community, there are things that needs to be done to fit SOME COUNCILS OF THE CHURCH the bigger or expanding community. Council Sometimes, there are also - is a general assembly/meeting of the misunderstandings among themselves and whole Church. When the Church grew into a some ideas of which, if not thoroughly big community, this is called ecumenical evaluated may destroy some teachings of council since the Church will just have her the community. assembly by representatives from the different countries. These meetings or assembly of the Church is called council. In this context, Council in Some of the topics that are usually discuss a simple term means general during councils are about doctrines assembly/meeting of the whole (teachings) of the Church. Next to a council is synod which is Church, administration, disciplines and an assembly/meeting of the Church like other matters which can greatly affect the bishops and clergy and even with laity life of the Church. There were many sometimes in a particular continent or parts councils of the Church. of the world; the whole Church is not involve. SEVEN COUNCILS TO HAVE A GLIMPSE ABOUT IT. Next to a synod is an assembly of the 1. Council of Jerusalem Church in smaller groups called plenary. the Jewish/Israelites Christians wanted the Gentiles to also practice their Mosaic laws DEFINITION OF SOME TERMS like circumcision. For the Jews, Doctrine Circumcision is a very important element of - belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a their faith since this was a sign of their Church; in short it is a teaching/s. covenant with God/YHWH. - In our topic’s context. Doctrine means teachings of the Church. it is not really an essential element or expression of faith but rather a matter of Dogma hygiene or one way for a male to be clean. - a doctrine or body of doctrines concerning So, in the end, the decision was not to faith or morals formally stated and impose circumcision to the Gentile authoritatively proclaimed by a church. Christians or the Gentile Christians may - In short, dogma is an established not practice circumcision doctrine or a doctrine which cannot be questioned. some laws such as abstaining from food - Examples of doctrines which are also polluted by idols, (food offered to false dogmatic are the Ten Commandments. gods), from sexual immorality and others such as those found in the Ten Heresy Commandments. This council happened - a belief opposed to the official belief of a around 50 AD as found in Acts 15:2-35. church. - In other words, heresy is a belief or 2. Council of Nicaea I (325 AD) teaching contradictory to the doctrines of This first council of the Church in Nicaea the Church especially contradictory to (now Iznik, Turkey) in 325 AD was to clarify the issue by Arius who said that Jesus is the Old Testament since it has her basis in not divine meaning not God, but only a the Septuagint (ancient Greek translation of creature or created being. Considering the Old Testament done by Jewish scholars Jesus as purely human being or creature around the middle of the 3rd century BC would erase all our faith in God through Him which has all the 46 books of the Old Testament, The nature of Jesus is both human (except sin) and divine. Jesus cannot be the number of sacraments was fixed at the perfect mediator between God and seven; Christ’s entire presence in the humanity if He is only human or He is only consecrated bread and wine in the Divine but has to be both human and Eucharist; the mass as a true sacrifice, and divine. many others. The council also asked every diocese to provide proper education of its 3. Council of Constantinople (381 AD) future clergy in seminaries.- 7 Deu-tero. This council settled another heresy which taught that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to For some historical facts, this will remind us the Father and the Son; He is lower in being that there was only one Church which was compared to the Father and the Son. This the Catholic until council affirmed the belief in the third the 16th Century, or Protestantism which person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit who originated by the followers of a former priest with the Father and the Son together is Martin Luther only started in the worshipped and glorified. 16th (Lutheran) which is also now divided into many sects or denominations. 4. Council of Ephesus (431 AD) He said that Mary ought to be referred to as The arrival of the Catholic Church in the “Christokos,” meaning “bearer of Christ,” not Philippines was simultaneous with the start the then-traditional “Theotokos,” meaning of Protestantism and was even ahead than “bearer of God. Nestorius’ preferred the many of the Protestant sects or term, Christokos, suggested a more denominations. Some of these complete separation of Jesus’ two natures. sects/denominations are still young while the Catholic Church in the Philippines is This idea of Nestorius is in conflicted with now celebrating her 500 years of doing the biblical concepts of the divinity of Christ evangelization in the country. We need to like in John 10:30 where Jesus said, “I and remind ourselves that doing a lot of schisms the Father are one”. (divisions or separations) in the Church is never willed by Jesus, the only founder of This Nestorius’ idea will go back to the Arian our Church with the Apostles as the heresy which tells that Jesus is purely grounds. Conflicts should have been human. So, the Council had to settled by dialogue and other means. re-affirmed Jesus’ natures as both human and divine. This will be re-affirmed again by 6. Vatican II (1962 – 1965) the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. - (different documents of the Church) - This council is commonly called Second 5. Council of Trent (1545 to 1563) Vatican Council, or Vatican II. The council did not happen throughout - This council has a lot of documents that these years but was “on and off”, meaning we are using today such as the Lumen not continuously during those years but Gentium (LG) Sacro sanctum Concilium months then break and so on and so forth. (SSC), Gaudium et Spes (GS) and many others. The Canon of the Bible (73 books) especially the 46 numbers of the books of The Bible which is the main and the above are often our main references. The Bible, Vatican II, Catechism of the Examples of the changes allowed by Catholic Church (CCC), and PCP II for the Vatican II are: the use of vernacular or Philippine Church. local languages in different Churches Catechism of the Catholic Church. The priest and the altar facing the people, and started a dialogue with other religions. Series of Imperial/Church’s Councils Aside from Council and synod, we also mentioned the smaller group meeting called plenary. In 1991, different representatives of the Church from the whole Philippines had a second assembly in Manila to discuss some important issues confronting the Church in the Philippines. This was called Second Plenary Council of the Philippines or PCP II. effective in her mission like the Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) wherein Lay people like the catechists, Communion ministers and others are encouraged to be more active in the Church and not just depend on the priests. Another is being Church of the poor or preferential option for the poor PCP II also emphasized the role of the Church’s leaders (bishops, priests) as “servant leaders” and not be the ones to be served or enjoy a lot of privileges especially if their sheep or people are marginalized. The documents that we have mentioned