Church scholars can differ on the nature of some church practices.

Thursday, 10/26/17

Today's readings have not given me any inspiration for a homily, so forgive me for writing something personal. I am less than two months short of being a priest for sixty-five years, and that moves me toward summarizing my beliefs.

In my first ten years as a priest I confined myself to believing whatever our church teaches. Then, on November fourteenth of 1962 I came to see that there was not complete unanimity in what the Church teaches.

Cardinal Alfredo Octaviani at that day's session of the Vatican Two Council was slated to tell the bishops there what Divine Revelation consists of; and he told them that the traditional church teaching were as much Divine Revelation as were the Sacred Scriptures.

At that, a third of the 25,000 bishops in attendance announced that they didn't see church teachings as much revealed by God as the Bible is. From that day on, I have come to recognize the way Catholic scholars can differ between themselves as to the role of Church authority, and as to what mysteriously transpires in our offering the Mass.