A sect is any Christian denomination which has independently established his/her own Church. Any Christians who group together and reject to accept the entire doctrine or recognize the supreme authority of the Catholic Church makes up a religious party under human unofficial headship.
Although men’s adherence is
withheld by many because of unawareness and abuse of free-will, only the Catholic
Church alone is the universal society instituted by Jesus Christ which has a
rightful claim to the submission of all men.
The Catholic Church is the
sole keeper of the complete teaching of Jesus Christ which must be embraced in
its entirety by all mankind. Together with its members, Catholicism does not represent
a sect because they do not belong to a group summoned into existence by a human
leader, or to a school of thought avowed to the commands of an earthly master.
They form part of a Church
which embraces all space and in a certain sense both time and eternity, considering
that it is militant, suffering, and victorious.
The assertion that the
Catholic religion is the only authentic type of Christianity surprises several
people by its exclusiveness. However, the truth is inevitably exclusive, which must
rule out error just as significantly as light is unsuited with darkness.
Brought by denunciation by
non-Catholic denominations of some truth or truths taught by the Lord, or
rejection of authority instituted by Him in His Church, they have in some indispensable
point relinquished His doctrine to human learning or His authority to self-established
headship.
No unprejudiced person will
be affronted by this reality, if it is learned by heart that loyalty to its
Divine mission puts into effect this clear-cut attitude on the ecclesiastical
authority. Divinely revealed truth cannot and must not be sacrificed to human opposition
and assumption. Nevertheless, while the Church denounces the flaws of
non-Catholics, she edifies the practice of justice and charity towards their
persons, renounces the use of aggression and coercion to produce conversions
and is all set to welcome back those who have wandered away.
Let's see how the Scriptures narrate about the
beauty of obedience than insubordination brought by rejection of authority
instituted by Jesus in His Church, and its effect to the humanity:
Deuteronomy 8:20 Like the nations
which the LORD destroys before you, so shall you too perish for not heeding the
voice of the LORD, your God.
Deuteronomy 11:13-17 If, then, you truly heed my commandments which I enjoin on you today, loving
and serving the LORD, your God, with all your heart and all your soul, I will
give the seasonal rain to your land, the early rain and the late rain, that you
may have your grain, wine and oil to gather in; and I will bring forth grass in
your fields for your animals. Thus you may eat your fill. But be careful lest
your heart be so lured away that you serve other gods and worship them.
Deuteronomy 28:15 But if you
do not hearken to the voice of the LORD, your God, and are not careful to
observe all His commandments which I enjoin on you today, all these curses
shall come upon you and overwhelm you.
Leviticus 26:3-4 If you
live in accordance with my precepts and are careful to observe my commandments,
I will give you rain in due season, so that the land will bear its crops, and
the trees their fruit.
Exodus 24:7 Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the
people, who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and
do."
Joshua 22:5 But be very careful to observe the precept and law which
Moses, the servant of the LORD, enjoined upon you: love the LORD, your God;
follow Him faithfully; keep His commandments; remain loyal to Him; and serve Him with your whole heart and soul.
Exodus 20:19-21 I am the LORD, your God: observe my statutes and be
careful to keep my ordinances; keep holy my sabbaths, as a sign between me and
you to show that I am the LORD, your God. But their children rebelled against
me: they did not observe my statutes or keep my ordinances that bring life to
those who observe them, and my sabbaths they desecrated. Then I thought of
pouring out my fury on them, of spending my anger on them in the desert.
Isaiah 45:19 I have not spoken from hiding nor from some dark place of
the earth, And I have not said to the descendants of Jacob, "Look for me
in an empty waste." I, the LORD, promise justice, I foretell what is
right.
Matthew 16:18 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I
will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail
against it.
Matthew 28:19-20 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the
age.
John 16:13 But when He
comes, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you to all truth. He will not speak
on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and will declare to you the things
that are coming.
Romans 1:5 Through Him we have received the grace of apostleship, to
bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of His name, among all the
Gentiles,
2 Corinthians 9:13 Through the evidence of this service, you are glorifying
God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ and the generosity of
your contribution to them and to all others.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the
traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of
ours.
1 John 4:6 We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us,
while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know
the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.
1 Peter 1:14 Like obedient
children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance.
1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified yourselves by
obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from
a (pure) heart.
In conclusion,
even inside Catholicism, people have been divided, resulting to sect of
Catholicism called Cafeteria Catholics. These Catholics make a decision for
themselves as to which doctrines of the Catholic Church to be kept, and which
ones are to be discarded. The ones preferred
are obeyed and hyped to others. Conversely, the one that are junked are disobeyed
resulting to subsequent cursing of the Church and even the Pope.
As we
contemplate on this reality, may we be revitalized by the goodness of obedience
modeled by Jesus Himself, which His disciples embraced until they became apostles and by their successors, followers and communities. Amen!
References:
- Sect and Sects , http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13674a.htm
- Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. , Disciples and Apostles in the New Testament, http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Disciples.htm
- Cafeteria Catholics, http://www.catholicbible101.com/cafeteriacatholics.htm
- The New American Bible, http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/_INDEX.HTM
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