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Text Box: BISHOPS AND PRIESTS RELIGIOUS AND LAITY Bishops and their Priest, and to a lesser extent Deacons and Religious, have the most unusual of occupations with associated and equally unusual obligations, duties, and expectations. Unlike a father, mother, or head of household, or even a king or president, who are only responsible for providing material needs and moral guidance and training, Bishops and those who are associated with them in the Church, are responsible for being shepherds of all of those entrusted to them, and that means every person in the world. Every Bishop, and those who work with them, is responsible for every person in the world. The areas of responsibility are divided up according to geographic, ethnic, cultural, and other factors, and various responsibilities are delegated within an even amongst those factors, but each leader of the Church is responsible for the entirety. Bishops are obligated to teach and to practice Christ’s teachings. When Bishops teach Christ’s teachings, they must so do with clarity and without alteration. Bishops must not taint His teachings with their own desires or with the desires of others or with anything else. Because He is perfect, God’s teachings are perfect. Perfection never changes for if it changed it either was not perfect before it changed or became imperfect after it changed. Therefore, not only does God never change, but His teachings never change. This means that things which God has said are immoral, such as sexual intercourse outside of marriage, abortion, discourteous conduct, and the such, remain immoral. And those things which God said we must do, such as worship Him, keep the Lord’s Day holy, seek forgiveness for our sins, pray, and the like, remain things which we must do. We can not change this, and we should

Text Box: not desire to change this for God’s way is the way of perfection and ultimate happiness, and any other way will prove to be dysfunctional and lead to permanent and total unhappiness and horror. The laity have obligations as well. Prime amongst those are to obey the Word of God, and that Word of God is Jesus Christ. This means we must obey His teachings, and not attempt to modify them. The laity are obligated to heed the spiritual guidance of the Bishops of the true Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and to avoid anything which comes from any group which has broken off from the True Church, or which has broken off from one of the many splinters which have broken off from the True Church. If a leader of the True Church should falter in teaching or practice of God’s Dogma, the Laity must challenge that Bishop, Priest, Clergy, or Religious, first by making the superior of that individual aware of the problem, and if necessary, making the problem known very publicly and informing all the Bishops - even to the extent of informing all of the Bishops in the world - of the problem. Laity should therefor be very sure of themselves, and proceed very carefully, but they should never shirk this duty. But they should also not try to start their own church or join some organization of heretics, for in so doing all those who leave the True Church accomplish is an increase in the probability of their own eternal damnation. Laity also have the obligation to support their Bishops, Priest, Clergy, and Religious, in the material needs of this world, to the best of their ability, to the extent they perceive there to be a need for such support. Laity always have a prime duty to support their own families, so support of the Clergy should be out of the largess of the laity and not from the necessities of the laity. Laity have the right to expect the Clergy will teach, act, think, and even desire, in accordance with Dogma. And Clergy have the right to expect the same of the Laity. But while the Laity

Text Box: has the right to expect the Clergy have real knowledge and practice of all maters in accordance with Dogma, the Clergy do not have the right to expect the same of the Laity; for the Clergy are supposed to have become learned in the Word of God, but the Laity are only expected to have practical working knowledge and application of that very same Word of God. Bishops and Priests are ordinary persons who have an extraordinary occupation, and that occupation comes with extraordinary duties and obligations, as well as the extraordinary powers and abilities needed to engage in that occupation and to fulfill those duties and obligations. Because of this, Clergy become extraordinary persons. In becoming extraordinary they must be careful not to attribute any greatness to themselves, but to God. But the Laity must acknowledge this greatness for there is no one of the Laity who can forgive sins or change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, or Ordain a Priest or Consecrate a Bishop, or invoke the Holy Spirit into someone. Because of this, the Bishop, Priest, Clergy, or Religious, who abuses their position, who are an evil shepherd, receive a horrible reward. But the ones who are good shepherds receive the reward which is beyond expression. Ref: Eph. 3:13-21; Luke 14:1-11 +

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