ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Catholic Apostolic Lineage

Sure! So, let's imagine you are five years old and we are going to talk about Catholic apostolic lineage.

In the Catholic Church, there is something called apostolic lineage. It's like a really long list of important people who passed on their teachings and leadership from one generation to another, kind of like passing on a special treasure or secret.

Now, it all started a long time ago, almost 2,000 years ago, when Jesus Christ started his Church. Jesus chose a group of special people called the apostles to spread his teachings and lead the Church after he went back to heaven.

This is where apostolic lineage begins. The apostles were the first leaders of the Church, and they taught other people about Jesus and how to lead the Church. They had a very important job!

As time went by, the apostles appointed other leaders, called bishops, to continue their work. These bishops had a special power called apostolic succession. It means that they received the teachings and authority passed down from the apostles.

Think of it like a relay race, where a baton is passed from one runner to another. The bishops are like the runners in this race, and the baton they pass on is the authority and teachings they received from the apostles.

Now, this lineage was carefully preserved throughout history. Every new bishop ordained, or made, had to be chosen and consecrated, or made holy, by other bishops who could trace their authority and teachings back to the apostles.

This way, the teachings and leadership passed down from Jesus to the apostles and then to the bishops are still present in the Catholic Church today. It's like a family tree that connects all the bishops and keeps the Church united.

This Catholic apostolic lineage is very important because it ensures that the Church continues to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus. It's like a special link that connects Catholics all over the world and across time to the very beginnings of the Church.

So, in summary, the Catholic apostolic lineage is a long line of bishops who have been chosen, consecrated, and taught by other bishops who can trace their authority back to the apostles. It helps to preserve and pass on the teachings and leadership of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church.