From the Pastor - Sixth Sunday of Easter
On this sixth Sunday of Easter, our readings remind us that God must come first in our lives, and that love of God is shown through concrete actions — this is precisely why the stewardship way of life is so necessary.
Our second reading, from St. Peter, challenges us to “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” In other words, we are to put Christ above all else. His role is not only as Savior — as essential as that is — but as Lord of our lives. As His disciples, we are called to place Him at the center of everything — our time, our talent, and our treasure.
The beauty of the stewardship way of life is that it gives us a concrete way to live this out. It allows us to demonstrate that Christ truly is Lord of our lives, because love is not merely a feeling. “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me,” Jesus tells us in our Gospel from John.
True love is an act of the will. It requires obedience, humility, and deep trust in God. But the reward is extraordinary. Christ tells us, “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Could there be anything more fulfilling than living in such a way that the God of the universe reveals Himself more fully to us? © Catholic Stewardship Consultants, 2026
Pastoral Pondering
Lately, with various discussions in the news, particularly with regard to a recent perceived back and forth between the Holy Father and President Trump, the issue of Catholic teaching and the authority of that teaching has come up. Hence, I thought it might be helpful to outline the levels of magisterial teaching in an effort to help folks navigate the different types of teaching along with the required response to each level.
Summary: Levels of Magisterial Teaching
The Catholic Church teaches with Christ’s authority through the Magisterium, but not all teachings carry the same weight or demand the same level of assent. Understanding these distinctions helps Catholics know how to respond faithfully to Church teaching.
1. Solemn Definitions (Extraordinary Magisterium)
These are infallible dogmas formally defined by an ecumenical council or by the pope speaking ex cathedra. They concern truths revealed by God (e.g., the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption).
Required response: The assent of faith. Denial is heresy.
2. Ordinary Universal Magisterium
Teachings consistently and universally held by the bishops in communion with the pope, even without a formal definition. When universal agreement is clear, these teachings are also infallible (e.g., the intrinsic evil of abortion, male-only priesthood).
Required response: The assent of faith. Denial is heresy.
3. Definitive Teachings (Non‑Revealed but Certain)
Teachings proposed definitively because they are necessary to safeguard or explain divine revelation, even if not themselves formally revealed (e.g., canonizations, invalidity of Anglican orders).
Required response: Definitive assent. Denial is grave error, though not heresy.
4. Authoritative but Non‑Definitive Teaching
Non‑infallible teachings of the pope or bishops, such as many encyclicals or pastoral directives.
Required response: Religious submission of intellect and will — a sincere openness and respect, not casual dismissal.
5. Prudential Judgments and Pastoral Applications
Concrete applications of moral principles to specific situations (e.g., policy approaches in economics or immigration).
Required response: Respectful consideration. Legitimate disagreement is possible.
Why this matters:
Recognizing these levels avoids two extremes—treating all Church teaching as optional opinion (laxism) or treating every Church statement as infallible dogma (rigorism). The Church teaches as a structured, living authority guided by the Holy Spirit, calling for responses proportionate to the level of teaching involved.