In the Pastoral Letters that Saint Paul wrote to Saint Timothy and Saint Titus, consecrated as Bishops by Saint Paul himself, one can notice the great concern of the Apostle with the Doctrine, so that it would never be corrupted by oral and written retransmission along the centuries. The following excerpts of these letters clearly demonstrate the Apostle’s great concern with the preservation of the purity of the Doctrine.

“I repeat the request I made of you when I was on my way to Macedonia, that you stay in Ephesus to instruct certain people not to teach false doctrines” (The First Letter to Timothy 1, 3).

“If you will give these instructions to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching you have followed. Avoid profane and silly myths” (The First Letter to Timothy 4, 6).

“Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing religion to be a means of gain” (The First Letter to Timothy 6, 3-5).

“O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid profane babbling and the absurdities of so-called knowledge. By professing it, some people have deviated from the faith. Grace be with all of you” (The First Letter to Timothy 6, 20-21).

“Guard this rich trust with the help of the holy Spirit that dwells within us” (The Second Letter to Timothy 1, 14).

“For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths” (The Second Letter to Timothy 4, 3-4).

Saint Paul recommends the same zeal for the Doctrine to Saint Titus. Talking about the qualities a Bishop should have, he affirms that:

“For a bishop as God’s steward must be blameless, not arrogant, not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive, not greedy for sordid gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness, temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled, holding fast to the true message as taught so that he will be able both to exhort with sound doctrine and to refute opponents” (The Letter to Titus 1, 7-9).

“This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these points, that those who have believed in God be careful to devote themselves to good works; these are excellent and beneficial to others. Avoid foolish arguments, genealogies, rivalries, and quarrels about the law, for they are useless and futile. After a first and second warning, break off contact with a heretic, realizing that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned” (The Letter to Titus 3, 8-11).

Moved by his great zeal for a healthy Doctrine, Saint Paul seriously and firmly exhorts the Galatians to cling to Jesus’ Gospel:

“I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by (the) grace (of Christ) for a different gospel (not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed!” (The Letter to the Galatians 1, 6-9).

The Church has held 21 Ecumenical (Universal) Councils all through Her long History. These Councils had one only goal: to preserve the “healthy Doctrine” intact. The Church has faced many difficult moments: many of Her children broke up with Catholic Unity because they did not accept the truth. Nevertheless, those were also moments of enlightenment in the historical evolution of the Church. Pope John Paul II referred to these Councils as blessed moments:

“The great Councils were moments of Grace for the Life of the universal Church…. They represent unmistakable landmarks to the universal Church.”

“These were moments of Grace, through which the Spirit of God poured plenty of Light over the fundamental Mysteries of Christian Faith” (L’ Osservatore Romano # 28, 13/07/96).

Professor Felipe Aquino

Professor Felipe Aquino is a widower, father of five children. On TV Canção Nova he presents the program “Escola da Fé” [School of faith] and “Pergunte e Responderemos” [Ask and respond], on Radio he presents the program “in the heart of the Church”. On weekends he preaches deepening meetings throughout Brazil and abroad. He wrote 73 books of Catholic background by publishers, Loyola and Cleopas and Canção Nova. His teacher’s page:www.cleofas.com.br Twitter: @pfelipeaquino