Msg Base:  AREA 5  - ASK FATHER            CIN ECHO   AMDG
  Msg No: 229.  Sun  1-12-92 21:10  (NO KILL)  (MAILED)
    From: Father Mateo
      To: Dan Pacheco
 Subject: Infallibility

+-
| Father Mateo, you should write a book about this stuff! (if you haven't
| already... ).  Call it "Confessions of a computer Junkie!" 
|        But seriously, I do have a question.  Please shed some light on the
| "infallibility of the Magisterium" and the Pope,  as it is evident from an
| historical standpoint that the Magisterium and the Pope have made mistakes
| in the past.  How do you reconcile the Church's mistakes with its being
| guided by the Holy Spirit, and especially with the infallibility of the
| Pope?
|        This question comes to mind for me especially because I live in the
| Denver Archdiocese, whose Bishop you seem to have quoted much lately.  My
| parish is the worst of them all, having changed the words of the Mass in
| disobedience to Bishop Stafford's statements.  Clearly (to me!) they are
| in the wrong and deserve a flogging  :)  but could they possibly be guided
| by the Holy Spirit?  Does the Holy Spirit ever inspire the Church from the
| bottom up?  History shows it does, one case being the evolution of the
| liturgy?  From a very confused and caught-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place
| Catholic...  HELP!!
|        -DP
+-[DP=>FM]
 
Dear Dan,
 
NO BOOKS!  Anyway, I'm not a computer junkie.  I write out these
responses with an ink pen.  If I could, I'd use a goose quill, or
better still a stylus, making scratches on a wax tablet.  Our friendly
sysop feeds my responses into her monster.  I will have nothing to do
with machines.  I hate them.  I even hated my bike when I was in junior
high.
 
The infallibility of the Church is very narrow, and technically it is
what is called a negative charism.  It PREVENTS the Church from
TEACHING ERROR in doctrine of  FAITH and MORALITY.   That is all.
Scripture and Tradition tell us what to say; infallibility shows us
what NOT to say.  The Church and its members, high and low have made
oodles of mistakes in the past, and you can count on them making tons
more before Gabriel blows his horn, but never has she taught doctrinal
error officially.
 
A fruther and very important restriction is this: to be safeguarded
by infallibility, the Church must INTEND to teach infallibly.  This
intention is always made clear in the LANGUAGE used in the teaching
document, or by the UNIVERSALITY and UNANIMITY of the teaching.
 
The Holy Spirit has been called the "soul of the Church" because He
draws us all together in love under the headship of Jesus Christ to the
glory of the Father.  So the Holy Spirit lives and acts in EVERY ONE of
Christ's members, but He empowers each of us in a different way.  (At
this point, please read 1st Corinthians 12, the whole chapter - come
on, Dan, get out your Bible!)
 
You can bet your shirt the Holy Spirit is not inspiring anybody to
disobey legitimate authority.  God is a God of order, not of disorder.
 
You live in Denver.  Have you a copy of Bishop Stafford's guidelines? I
suggest you get one, find out exactly what he says, then show it to the
offending liturgists in your parish.  If they don't shape up, you can
suggest they won't be seeing your envelope in the collection basket
anymore.  And then phone the Bishop or write to him about the abuse.
 
What evidence do you have that the liturgy ever developed from the
bottom up?  I really want to know - with sources mentioned in detail.
I don't think it ever happened that way.
 
Thank for writing to me - and please come again.
 
                                Sincerely in Christ,
 
                                Father Mateo