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
EARLY HISTORY
“Pentecost Sunday, thirty-three A.D.”
“And that’s the start. You’re saying that’s when the Catholic Church began Ben?” Roy Sanders asks.
“That’s right, Roy."
David Palmer raises his hand.
“I’ve been told the Bible says nothing about the Catholic Church as the original Church Jesus established, or Peter being in Rome. How do you answer that?”
Ben smiles. “Good question Dave.”
“Let’s say we start tonight’s session there.”
Hi, Tony here. Tonight’s topic, Church history. Prior to ending last weeks session the class was asked to submit questions regarding the church’s history. And that’s where tonight’s discussion starts.
So, let’s sit back and listen.
“Ben’s handing out a littlesomething we’ve prepared exploring more extensively various events in church history,” Joey says, as the group settles in their seats. “Events we are not going to dwell on tonight. Among them are the division of the Western and Eastern churches, the Crusades, the Inquisition, and others. Our main emphasis, tonight, is the early church, the first 400 years …
“... Okay, to Dave’s question. It’s true, nowhere in the gospels will you find a definitive statement saying Peter was in Rome, or how the church was to be structured. The gospels say very little about the earliest institution of the church. As we saw last session, the church and its structure evolved over time as events necessitated.”
“Why?” Dave asks.
“In that first century, the apostles followed Jesus’ command to teach all nations; teach, not write. Our Lord said nothing about writing books. We’ll explore that in more depth in our presentation on Scripture ...
"... Secondly, realize those first apostles and disciples believed Jesus would return, in their lifetime. So, no urgency existed to compile a written history. And, there was no need of a centralized “church” existing as a singular voice of authority. The first apostles had the pure teaching given to them by Jesus, Himself. There was no confusion among them as to who Christ was, or what He did, or taught."
"Okay," Dave says.
"The last gospel writer, John died around the year one hundred. History places Peter and Paul in Rome around sixty to sixty-eight. A.D. And lastly, the Bible was compiled, or canonized, over three hundred fifty years after Pentecost."
"Okay, but beyond that, what else, if anything, supports your claim?” Melissa Stargell asks.
Ben sets his coffee cup down. “Well, Melissa, it’s easy to think Peter was never in Rome based on the four gospels, alone,” he says. “However, that’s not quite accurate; there's more than the gospels.”
“Why?”
“Because Peter himself tells us he was in Rome.”
Chuckling at the look on Melissa’s face. Ben continues.
“Ending his first letter in the New Testament, Peter writes, ‘The Church here in Babylon, united with you by God’s election, sends you her greeting, and so does my son, Mark.’”
Surprised looks abound.
“Now, in New Testament times, Babylon was accepted as referring to Rome. The actual historical Babylon was, by then, an insignificant place; one stop sign on the way to someplace else.”
Softening a bit, the look on Melissa’s face still registers ongoing skepticism
“But external evidence has to be considered, too; sources other than the New Testament,” Ben continues.
“Can you cite some?” Mike DeCastro asks.
“Actually, we’ve put together a short list,” Turning, Ben says. “Joey.”
Clearing his throat, Joey opens a notepad and begins to read.
“In his Letter to the Romans, Ignatius of Antioch wrote “that he could not command the Roman Christians the way Peter and Paul once did …
… “Irenaeus, in Against Heresies, writes, ‘Matthew wrote his Gospel while Peter and Paul were evangelizing in Rome and laying the foundation of the Church …
… “In his ‘The Demurrer Against the Heretics, Tertullian, a Christian writer of the second century wrote of Rome, ‘How happy is that church . . . where Peter endured a passion like that of the Lord, where Paul was crowned in a death like John’s’; that is John the Baptist, not the apostle …
…“Clement of Alexandria wrote, ‘When Peter preached the word publicly at Rome, and declared the gospel by the Spirit …
…“Lactantius, an early Christian author and advisor to emperor Constantine wrote, “When Nero was already reigning, Peter came to Rome … where he converted many to righteousness and established a firm and steadfast temple to God …
…“Irenaeus wrote in 110; Lactantius in 318. The others, in between those years. All indicate Peter and Paul were in Rome. History tells us Peter was martyred about 68 A.D. by Nero.”
“Anything more contemporary?” Tony Rice asks
Nodding his head, Joey smiles. “Yes, Tony, a twentieth-century writer, named William Jurgens wrote an extensive book called ‘The Faith of the Early Fathers.’ In it he cites everything from the first century, Didache to Saint John Damascene, an eighth century writer, and includes over twenty-five references that ‘Peter came to Rome and died there’ and ‘Peter established his See at Rome and made the bishop of Rome his successor in the primacy’ …
…“His book is available today.”
“And an additional reason for the silence in Scripture is persecution,” Ben adds. “Remember, the gospels were written during the Roman empire at the height of its power. The early Church was intensely persecuted by the Roman emperors … so, why invite more?”
“Any more questions,” Joey asks.
Silence.
“Okay,” Joey says. “Let’s move on.”
“Yea, how about the Greek Orthodox. What happened there?” Barbara Larsen asks.
“As we said, the early Church was loosely organized, and eventually, diverse interpretations of the faith arose,” Ben says , picking up the conversation.. “To ensure a consistent belief, around the year three hundred a more structured hierarchy evolved. Like today’s diocese, a central bishop assumed authority over the church in his city. Eventually, bishops in larger and more politically important cities exerted authority over lesser nearby cities ...
... "At the time those were the churches in Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome. By the 3rd century, the bishop of Rome began to act as the voice of authority for problems that arose, causing dissention. Over time, Rome and Constantinople, disagreeing over doctrine and governance, became estranged. Ultimately, unable to resolve their differences, each formally excommunicated the other in the eleventh century; a division that unfortunately exists today.”
“Moving on, we’re not going to dwell to any great extent on the intervening years up to the Reformation,” Joey says. Suffice to say the Church, existing in foreign lands, generally aligned itself with the secular powers, for protection, and to carry on its mission ...
..."Over time, this led to acquiring lands that eventually fell under the rule of the Pope. The church, to continue its rightful mission, became beholding to the secular powers of the day; leading to a myriad of abuses. Though the church made numerous mistakes in their earthly duties, it must be noted; never were the formal dogmas and doctrines of the Church, what we call, the ‘deposit of faith,’ corrupted or abolished …
…“And, that brings us to the what is called the Reformation,” Joey continues. “In 1513, a catholic monk, Martin Luther, objected to the practice of simony.”
“Simony?” Tom Taylor asks.
“Selling church privileges such as pardons or in Luther’s case, indulgences,” Joey replies.
“Luther's protest was essentially correct, and Rome eventually terminated such activities. It was, however, Luther’s defiance of various dogmas and disciplines of the Church that led the church to excommunicate him. Over the years, others like Calvin, Knox, and Zwingli followed him and are the forerunners of various Christian denominations not aligned with Rome.”
“Between the Reformation and the beginning of the twentieth century, serious persecution of both Catholics and Protestants occurred throughout Europe,” Ben adds, continuing Joey’s words. “Under Henry VIII, England established its own church, heavily persecuting the Church in Rome. After much bloodshed, a truce was arrived at. Again, this is examined more fully in the handout you’ve received ...
... “Turning to the modern-day church and specifically the Popes.” Ben says. “As Joey said, through the centuries, lands in Italy were acquired that fell under church rule. These lands were called the Papal States. In many cases, this didn’t sit well with the powers to be, especially in Italy, where a particularly zealous revolutionary named Garibaldi, attempted to overthrow the secular power of the popes ...
... "Eventually, a unified Italian government claimed the lands outside of the city walls of Rome and beginning in 1870, the pope was essentially a prisoner in the Vatican. A standoff ensued for the next 60 years, and in 1929, the Italian dictator, Mussolini signed the Lateran Pacts establishing Vatican City as a sovereign entity and granting the church a substantial sum as compensation for the Papal States ...
... "That’s the Vatican today. An independent country, tasked with the saving of souls, and not the governing of bodies."
"So, there you have it. Any questions?"
No hands are raised.
"As we said when we began, this is but a brief history with our main emphasis is on the very early years of the church ...
... "So, if there are no further questions, Ben says, thanks for coming and have a great week. See you next Tuesday."
