RCIA, or as it now called, OCIA, is the Rite of Christian Inititiation of Adults, is the formal process for those adults contemplating entering the Roman Catholic Church; or furthering their understanding and knowledge of its teachings, practices, customs, and traditions. Having participated in this program as a leader of discussion groups; in a fictional setting, I offer you, observations I have taken from my experience.
Please understand that this offering is NOT to be understood as the standard manner in which OCIA is offered in the dioceses and parishes of the Catholic Church. Each of the week's sessions addresses commonly asked questions pertinent to the topic discussed, and is not intended as an exaustive exploration of a given topic. As I've said, it is merely a reflection of my personal experience. Each diocese has its own preferred method and structure for offering the program. If any reader wishes to explore the Catholic Church more fully through OCIA, please contact the offices of a local parish offering the program.
And please note, RCIA has traditionally, for the last several decades, been what the process of exploring entrance into the Church has been called. A couple years back, the program's name was changed to OCIA, Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. Oh well, guess some traditions die hard.
The latest "chapter" follows below. Please refer to the Archives section following the conclusion of this latest chapter if you are joining us "mid-stream" to catch up with our "class" as they move through the program. Or to refer back to something presented before. As a side note, in the week one "session" found in the Archives, you will meet the people who comprise our "fictional" class here at St. Kate's.
And so our story continues
SCRIPTURE - Session Two
Breaks over … and the folks head back to their seats.
“Questions?” Ben asks, moving to the head of the class.
Up go a half dozen hands.
“Darrell.”
“I’ve heard Catholics are, or were, prohibited from reading the bible,” he asks. “Why?”
“Okay, we hear this question a lot,” Joey says. “Until the fifteenth century, Bibles were rare; hand copied by monks, and producing one Bible was a lengthy undertaking. So they weren’t available outside churches. With the advent of the printing press, printing a bible was much easier, and it’s invention was before Martin Luther and the Reformation. Luther issued his own Bible, adding to and subtracting from Rome’s canonized version. Others followed Luther’s actions; some having portions contrary to the approved Scriptures. So, to insure those faithful to the Church heard the authentic Scriptures, a ban on reading any version of the Bible outside Mass, was put in place …
… "A second consideration was the Vatican recognized that most of the faithful at that time, were illiterate. The Scripture they heard was authentic, being read three times at a Sunday Mass. So, the prohibition was intended to avoid confusion or heresy arising from unauthorized sources and incorrect understandings."
Pausing to sip his coffee, Father John nods.
“Oh, and one more reason; the Church generally relied on the sanction of the rulers of those countries where it was located. As it was, often civil authorities meddled in the affairs of the Church; even going so far as appointing their own bishops, though, generally with the, sometimes reluctant, approval of Rome. Recognizing the possibility of those civil officials meddling in spiritual affairs, the ban was also to prevent them from exposing the faithful to interpretations of Scripture which suited their purposes.”
“I understand the Vatican had someone killed for translating the Bible?” Lois Webster asks.
“Not true, Lois. What is true, is a man named William Tyndale, who had produced an English translation, was put to death. But Tyndale was executed by Henry VIII, in, I think, fifteen-thirty-six, two years after Henry broke with the Vatican and formed his own church. History tells us Tyndale angered Henry by his position on Henry’s marital status, and that is the reason Henry had him executed. The Catholic church, while it didn’t approve of Tyndale’s bible, didn’t execute him. Henry did.”
“Isn’t Scripture all we need? I mean why does the Church follow man-made traditions, and not just the Bible alone?” Mike DeCastro asks.
Chuckling, Ben looks up. “Mike, the next session concerns itself with just that topic; Sacred Tradition. So, let me give you a short answer here and ask you to wait for that session. Okay?”
Nodding, Mike smiles his agreement.
“Tradition is the continued handing on of revelation; accepted by the faithful and passed down orally; in an unwritten form. Some Traditions are eventually put into a formal doctrine authorized by the Magisterium; the teaching authority of the Church. Sacred Tradition is often called the lens through which the church views Scripture. The Bible itself is one of the first great Traditions of the Church; one of the three pillars of the Catholic church, and much of Scripture is really simply recorded tradition. Tradition goes hand in hand with Scripture.”
Sandra Bradshaw raises her hand.
“Yes, Sandra.”
“Where is the word pope in the Bible. Peter was never called, the pope.”
Father John, smiles.
“The simple answer, Sandra is … nowhere.” he says. Why, because the position hadn’t been established when Scripture was written. The Church, the Vatican, and the pope, like the Bible itself, evolved over time. In fact, to be technical, Peter never called himself a bishop; just that he went about preaching the gospel and establishing a church in Rome. He's recognized as the first bishop of Rome by the Church ...
… “Now, the apostles had the pure teaching of Jesus; there was no confusion among them as to our Lords actions and teachings. We saw that last week. As time passed however, conflicting ideas began appearing; ideas generated by some within the church. Thus, the bishops gradually recognized the need for a singular voice of authority. Recalling Christ’s commission of Peter, they empowered the successor to Peter, the Bishop of Rome, to be that voice of authority. The papacy, its influence and importance evolved over time; the word, ‘pope’ coming with that evolution.”
“Where is purgatory in the Bible?” Carolyn Evert asks.
Clearing his throat, Joey looks over the class.
“Carolyn, as Ben said to Mike, there is a coming session on purgatory. So, again, I’ll offer you a brief answer and ask you to wait for the session. Okay?”
Caroly nods her assent.
“Purgatory is an understanding derived from Christ’s words in Scripture, the early church Fathers, and archaeological discoveries of the activities of the early Christians and the early church and church fathers. So, I ask your patience; we’ll address that and others in coming sessions.”
“Why does the Catholic church say Mary was a perpetual virgin, when Scripture says Jesus had brothers and sisters? And where does it justify what you call her Immaculate Conception?” Janice Manning asks.
“Okay, Janice,” Father John says. “I know the guys have an entire session on that topic. So, again … a short answer. As to perpetual virgin, Matthew’s gospel tells us Mary had no relations with Joseph until he took her into his home. Now, if I were to say I’ll never take another drink until the day I die … see the problem. As to brothers and sisters; again, a problem in translation. Remember, Matthew’s gospel was to the Jews and the words brother and brethren are used interchangeably in Hebrew and Greek. So, again, I urge you to wait for that session.”
“I’ve always been told the Church is built on Jesus with Scripture calling Him the Cornerstone,” Dave Palmer asks. “And His words to Peter only mean the church is built on Peter’s faith, not the man himself?”
“Okay,” Joey says. “It’s true; scripture refers to Jesus as the cornerstone. But a cornerstone is the focal point of a building, not its foundation. Certainly, Jesus is the focal point of all Christian religion. But it’s plain from Scripture Jesus made Peter the foundation, the rock on which the visible institution, the Church, in which Jesus lives, is to be built.”
“How about taking it from here, Father?” Joey asks.
Nodding, the priest steps to the front of the class.
“Again, in this case, a problem of translation occurs,” Father John says, clearing his throat. “Jesus spoke Aramaic to His apostles; men from the region of Galilee where Aramaic was the common language, not the Greek the Bible was originally written in. He said to Simon, 'thou art 'kepha,' and on this 'kepha' I will build My church' … 'kepha' being Aramaic for rock. In translating 'kepha' into Greek, it becomes 'petros', the masculine form of rock. Standing alone, 'petros', in Greek, means little pebble and in Jesus’ subsequent words,” on this rock I will build my church,” the word 'petra', the feminine form meaning foundational or bedrock is used.
The problem here is Aramaic is a non-gender specific language; Greek is. In a gender specific language, the masculine form, 'petros', must be used to refer to Peter. If the feminine form, ‘petra’ were used, it would be like saying in English something like, ‘Ralph is a good baseball player, she plays center field.’ The proper gender pronoun must be used to modify Ralph … and Peter. People who contend Jesus couldn’t build his church on a pebble miss the confusion in translating, or transliterating, the languages …
… “And another problem; context. Peter’s commission occurs in a group setting … the assembled disciples. In that context, it wouldn’t make sense to them that Jesus was referring to himself. That could only happen if Jesus and Peter were alone. They were not. The proper understanding of an incident in Scripture, any incident in Scripture, depends heavily on the context in which it occurs.”
Pausing, a look of amusement wanders across Father John’s face as he looks over the class.
“When it comes to the translation of the languages of Scripture, consider this …
… “Imagine a pair of, let’s say, Chinese Scripture scholars are in San Francisco in the year twenty-six-seventy-five. They discover a document that reads, “this cat Jesus was hip man … a really groovy dude. Bro, the dude was phat … chill man, he didn’t diss nobody. Man, no dude ever got his goat. The Man tried to gaslight him and his followers, man, but they fell flat on their face.”
More gentle laughter rolls through the room as the group contemplates Father’s example.
“Imagine them trying to figure out what it meant, the priest continues, chuckling at his own words and the image they portray. They would have to understand the times and the idiom and slang of the day … and its context. Scripture translators have the same problem. In many instances there were no words in Hebrew, ancient Aramaic, and other languages for modern day English, or even Greek; the language in which Scripture was originally written. That is a problem with scholarly translation and understanding of Scripture.”
Heads nod as the laughter abates.
“And, that’s why we have a church which, for two-thousand years, has dedicated itself to studying, and constantly searching for truth. Relying on Sacred Scripture together with Traditional teachings; all under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”
“Traditional teachings?” Tony Rice asks.
“Yes Tony, something we will delve into next week.”
Silently Tony nods, an understanding smile crossing his lips.
“So, any questions?” Ben asks
Seeing no raised hands or looks of confusion, Ben smiles.
“Okay, enough for this evening. See everyone next week."
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