Talk #3 MARKS of the CHURCH FOUNDED by CHRIST

Talk #2 THE CHURCH FOUNDED BY CHRIST: ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC Introduction:

We have seen that there is only one church established by Christ. We claim that the Catholic Church as it exists today is that same church as the one Jesus established. It goes back to him in an unbroken line of succession. The Nicene Creed mentions four “marks of the Church.” If anyone wonders which of the 36,000 different denominations that claim to be Christ’s true Church is really the one Christ established, this is how to recognize it. One church has all four marks: The Catholic Church. Let us now examine and understand these “Marks of the Church”. I The Church Founded by Christ is One

Jesus has always intended that the church he established be “one”. He has always referred to the church in the singular – thus, the reference to “my church” and the “kingdom of God”. There is only one God and there can be only one Truth of God and one Truth from God. “Oneness” is an identifying mark that Christ demanded of His Church.

We have seen that the church is the body of Christ. A head with many bodies is a monstrosity, like a body with many heads. For the Church is an organic unity (though spiritual rather than biological), not just a legal one. A CEO can head many companies, but your head can’t have two bodies.

In the 17th Chapter of John’s Gospel, we see Jesus towards the end of his ministry on earth, praying first especially for His Apostles “that they may be one, even as We (He and the Father) are One.” . . . sanctify them in Truth.” And then, for the entire Church “that all may be one, even as Thou, Father, in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that Thou has sent Me.” It is not enough that Christ is preached; it is also necessary for the world to see in its midst the Church, one and united. Unity is of God, disunity is of the enemy. Division openly contradicts the will of Christ.

In Eph. 4:4-6, St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians – Let there be one body and one spirit, for God, in calling you, gave the same Spirit to all. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God, the Father of all.” In Mt. 12:25, Jesus said that – “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand”. In Jn. 10:1-5, the Christian community is described as a “flock” gathered into a sheepfold. In Jn. 10:16, Jesus makes it clear that “There shall be one fold and one shepherd”. As aptly stated in CCC par. 813, unity is the essence of the church.

The unity in a body is so great that “if one member suffers anything, all the members suffer with him, and if one member is honored, all the members together rejoice.” (1 Cor 12:26) A Bonds of Unity

The church is one in charity. Her Lord’s essential command is charity. (Jn. 15:9- 12), for “God is charity” (1 Jn. 4:16) Therefore “above all, charity binds everything together” (1 Cor. 3:14 and CCC 815). Christ said – They will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”

The unity of the Church is also assured by the visible bonds of communion, as follows:

1. Unity in Beliefs or the profession of one faith received from the Apostles. We would expect the church of Jesus to teach the same thing. Truth cannot contradict itself. If, for instance, one group teaches that Jesus is divine, and another group teaches that he is merely human, both groups cannot be right. If one group teaches that there are three Persons in one God, and another teaches that there is only one Person in God, both cannot be right. The true Church is one in creed, code, cult, and obedience to the Vicar of Christ on earth.

In order to ensure this unity of faith, by the year 150 A.D., converts to the Church were expected to memorize and adequately understand certain formulations of doctrine called creeds. Thus, we have the present Apostles’ Creed.

To Protestants, unity of belief does not matter. They have varying beliefs in the issues of abortion, gay rights, divorce, birth control, predestination, to name only a few. Despite even irreconcilable beliefs, however, they claim to be “one in Christ” and come up with a special scheme of unity by reasoning that they “all intended to serve Christ” or that they are “all going one road”. Paradoxically, despite their so-called “unity in Christ”, they sometimes label each other’s teaching as heretical! This results in “spiritual anarchy” and splintering of Christianity into thousands of denominations! Many of these churches even change their doctrines from time to time as if God is not the same today, yesterday and forever! They have sorely misunderstood St. Augustine when he said that we all should be united in essentials but can have liberty in non-essentials. The essentials pertain to all teachings of faith and morals, the non-essentials pertain only to our cultural differences. Indeed we may vary in our cultural practices but never in matters of faith and morals.

2. Unity in Authority. There is no way that there can be one teaching unless there is one with final authority of interpretation and application of the word. All of us must choose who is to be that final authority in our lives: We ourselves? Some self- proclaimed “expert” claiming divine inspiration? Some self-appointed group or a segment of the ‘community of the church’ who feel that they are ‘led by the spirit?” or the one whom Christ appointed and who has been continuously recognized as the one in final authority since the early days of the Church? The church has always consistently submitted itself to its teaching authority centered in the Bishop of Rome. This was echoed seventeen hundred years later by the First Vatican Council when it declared, speaking of Christ, “In order that the whole assembly of the faithful may remain in unity of faith and communion, he placed St. Peter over the other apostles and instituted in him both a perpetual principle of unity and a visible foundation..” There is in the Catholic Church unity of government and subjection to the same religious authority.

3. Unity in Worship. This is manifested in the mutual bond among the members of the church by being joined together socially on their participation in the same sacraments and forms of worship as channels of grace, which may be called liturgical unity. Catholics believe that the essential form of Christian worship consists in the offering of the sacrifice of the Mass. Catholics are united in this essential form of worship. Thus, they can attend mass in the different Catholic churches in the world. However, since the church exists in a variety of cultures, liturgy has developed quite differently in the East and in the West. In regards to “rites” or liturgy, unity does not necessarily mean uniformity. Thus, there are different “rites” in the Catholic Church the largest of which is the Latin or Roman rite. But other rites such as the Byzantine, the Chaldean, the Maronite, etc. are just as Catholic as any Latin; yet they celebrate Mass very different from us.

B Ruptures that wound the unity of Christ’s Body

It is sad that the “Body of Christ” is torn and wounded. Though its essential unity is indestructible, its visible signs of unity are not. The unity of the Church has been racked by dissension. They manifest in different forms as enumerated and described in CCC 2089:

1. Heresy. It is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth that must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same.

2. Apostasy. It is the total repudiation of the Christian faith.

3. Schism. It is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the church subject to him.

Irenaeus’ “Against Heresies”, isolated the root of all heresy from within the Church as a refusal to accept the Church’s teaching authority as centered in the bishop of Rome.

C Ecumenism

The wounds of division in the Church must be healed. Only when all the instrumentalists follow the conductor’s baton does the orchestra play in harmony. We cannot continue to play in different tunes, different beats and sometimes different music altogether. In order to address the persistent ruptures in the body of Christ, the Second Vatican Council defined in the clearest term possible what the Catholic Church is and its relationship with the modern world. It opened the door to Catholic participation in restoring unity of Christianity through the Decree on Ecumenism. 1 Principles of Ecumenism:

(a) We are called to fraternal knowledge of each other and to dialogue among theologians, to explore what we have in common with them. Dialogue promotes better understanding of one another. Many divisions arose and are maintained from mutual ignorance and misunderstanding.

(b) Ecumenism aims to reconcile everyone in truth and bring all churches together. It is not as many think, refraining from spreading the truth of the Catholic teachings to other Christians but rather to embrace all men into the fullness of truth. Ecumenism, that is, efforts to reconcile in truth and bring the Churches together, demands that we overcome the new dissension that threatens the internal unity of the church. All of us must work so that the unity of all Christians may be realized as Christ desires, and by the means he wants.

(c) “There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without interior conversion.” (Par. 7 of the Decree on Ecumenism) To practice ecumenism is to live holier lives and to grow in mutual brotherly love. This change of heart and holiness of life is the soul of the whole ecumenical movement. This is what we call “spiritual ecumenism”.

2 The Practice of Ecumenism:

(a) We are called to collaborate among Christians in various areas of service to mankind all towards achieving unity and reconciliation of all Christians. We are encouraged to come together with them in “common prayer” that does not interfere with acceptable forms of prayer in their respective churches. When Catholics and Protestants put their knees together in common prayer, God will put their heads together to understand common truths.

(b) The most significant warning for Catholics is to avoid a “false conciliatory approach” – a false ecumenism that ignores the real differences that divide Christians or that falsify Catholic beliefs for the sake of unity. In any case, nothing can be done without obeying the truth and doing the truth. In no way can we disregard Peter’s charism of unity that is granted to Peter’s successors.

(c) The church is admonished to carefully avoid expressions, judgments, and actions that would alienate others further from the church. We must avoid “arrogance” in dealing with them.

The Decree of Ecumenism issued by Vatican II states:

“All indeed profess to be followers of the Lord but differ in mind and go their different ways, as if Christ Himself were divided. Such division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature.”

“It is, of course, essential that the doctrine should be clearly presented in its entirety. Nothing is so foreign to the spirit of ecumenism as a false irenicism, in which the purity of Catholic doctrine suffers loss and its genuine and certain meaning is clouded.”

“Ecumenical action must be fully and sincerely Catholic, that is to say, faithful to the truth which we have received from the apostles and Fathers of the church, in harmony with the faith which the Catholic Church has always professed, and at the same time directed toward that fullness to which Our Lord wills His Body to grow in the course of time.”

II THE CHURCH IS HOLY.

The Church being holy does not mean that everyone in the church is holy; it doesn’t mean that we are free from sin. The Church is “holy” in a way her members are not. Christ established his Church not as a museum for saints but as a hospital for sinners. “I came not to call the righteous to repentance, but the sinners.” (Mk. 2:17) All members of the church, including her ministers, must acknowledge that they are sinners. (CCC 827) It means, however, that the church, as a gathering of people, has been “set apart” to be God’s people consecrated and chosen to receive mercy. (Once no people, now God’s people.)

The Church is holy because its founder, Jesus Christ, is all-holy and we should expect what he established to be holy too. Yet immediately we must recall that he was holy because he was God, whereas the Church can be holy only because of her relationship or attachment to God. Her sanctity derives from him, or leads to him, or is the effect of his divine presence in those who possess him.

The Church is holy because of its doctrines which are pure because they are from Christ. The Church possesses a holy doctrine, a teaching that will elevate people to holiness of life i.e. they try in their lives to reflect the mercy, love, justice, and forgiveness of the Lord Himself. The Catholic Church is the one great guardian of morality and virtue. They are often ridiculed as fools for their efforts to do so, by those who regard themselves as advocates of liberty. Even today, Protestantism cannot preserve Christian standards intact. Protestant writings excuse, and even approve, laxity in moral practice.

The Church is holy as its mission is to call all men to holiness. Holiness in the church also means that the church possesses the means to make people holy. They are the doctrine of faith and morals, the Mass and sacraments, the directives of those in ecclesiastical authority, and that communication of merits that the creeds describe as the communion of saints among the justified on earth or between those in glory and the members of the pilgrim Church below. At the center of these means of holiness and their ultimate source is the indwelling Spirit of Christ, which animates the Mystical Body. III THE CHURCH IS CATHOLIC.

Catholic means “universal. It is catholic in its divine mandate to teach all nations, in its efforts to draw to itself all human beings of every race and social status, and in its actual diffusion throughout the world. It is intended for all people of all times and all places. CCC par. 831 states “the Catholic Church has been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the human race. All men are called to belong to the new People of God.”

Unlike other churches or religion, the Catholic Church is not the church for certain classes of people only. It embraces all peoples and classes without distinction, just as Jesus Christ welcomed all. All men are embraced in the church despite their varying cultures and traditions for as long as they do not contravene the faith and morals taught by God himself through his son Jesus Christ. Islam is centered in Arabic culture. Hinduism is tied to India. The Amish are farmers only, and are only for those who will embrace complete simplicity of life. The gospels clearly show that Christ intended his Church not only for a chosen few, as among the Jews before the Messiah came, but for all mankind.

Some of our separated brothers and sisters argue that the Catholic Church is not the true church borne out by the fact that the word “catholic” is nowhere found in scriptures. Here we must point out that some doctrinal terms may not be in scripture although the teaching is clearly contained in it. Such is the case with the doctrines of “Trinity”, “Incarnation”, and “purgatory” to name only a few. All over scriptures, the message is clear that Jesus wants to gather all the people of the earth unto Himself.

Christ left the adoption of a name for His Church to those whom He commissioned to teach all nations. Christ called the spiritual society He established, “My Church”. This is the most common name given to the church as we can see in the Books of Acts, Corinthians, and Ephesians. In the book of Acts, the followers of Christ were referred to as “The Way” and were later on called “Christians” for the first time.

In order to have a distinction between the Church and the Synagogue and to have a distinguishing name from those embracing Judaic and Gnostic errors, we find St. Ignatius (using the Greek word “Katolikos” (universal) to describe the universality of the church established by Christ. It is in his writings that we find the word “Catholic” used for the first time. In a letter written to Smyrna in the year 110, he says – “Wheresoever the bishop is found there likewise let the people be found, even as where Jesus may be, there is the Catholic Church.” St. Augustine, when speaking about the Church founded by Christ, calls it the Catholic Church 240 times in his writings. The Catholic Church is not just a denomination; it is the one true Church. IV THE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC

A Apostolic in Origin The church is apostolic in its direct line of descent from the apostles Jesus chose. That her origin goes back to the apostles. The church today is identical with the church that Jesus founded on the apostles. It has an unbroken line of continuity back to the apostles. She is “built upon the foundation of the apostles.” (Eph. 2:20), who ordained their successors (bishops) as Christ ordained them. The bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the apostles as pastors of the Church, in such wise that whoever listens to them listens to Christ and whoever despises them despises Christ.” (Lk 10:16, CCC 862) Other churches are clearly founded by men. The Lutheran church was founded by Martin Luther in 1517, the Church of England (Anglican/Episcopalian) was founded by King Henry VIII in 1533, the Presbyterian church was founded by John Calvin in 1555, Congregationalist by Robert Brown in 1582, Baptist by John Smyth in 1609, Methodist by John Wesley in 1744, Unitarian by Theophilus Lindley in 1774, Mormon (Latter Day Saints) by Joseph Smith in 1830, Seventh Day Adventists by Mrs. Ellen Gould White in 1860, Christian Scientist by Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy in 1879, Jehovah’s Witnesses by Charles Taza Russell in 1879, Church of the Nazarene, Pentecostals, Holiness Church, Pilgrim Holiness Church, Church of Scientology, Calvary Chapel, and others to numerous to mention, were founded by men relatively recently.

B Apostolic in Doctrines.

The Catholic Church’s teaching has remained faithful to what the apostles received from Christ. The bishops of the Church today are heirs to the teaching office of the apostles, and that they have divine authority to guide the Church as the apostles did.

The doctrines of the Catholic Church are the same as those of the Apostolic Church. These doctrines as taught by the apostles have always been preserved. Our present catechism and all official teachings of the Catholic Church are consistent with the teaching of the apostles.” The “didache” or the writings of the apostles as well as the writings of the early “Fathers of the Church” which reflect the beliefs and practices of the early Christians are all consistent with what the Church teaches today. The Catholic Church teaches that there can be no new doctrines since the death of the last apostle. The Apostolic deposit of faith was delivered once and for all (Jude 3).

Many Protestants accuse the Catholic Church of changing doctrines, of adding dogmas, and having built up a complex and superstitious worship. This is absolutely untrue. The Catholic Church has never changed her essential principles of faith. It never departed from the doctrines of Christ. An example is the teaching on the infallibility of the pope. Fundamentalists claim that this doctrine was invented by the Church during Vatican I Council. The fact is Christ himself enunciated this doctrine in Matt. 16:19. It only came to be clearly defined by Vatican I. The heresies of the centuries parted with doctrines of Christian faith in deference to human opinions, and they died in turn through the ages. The Catholic Church does not adjust to men’s ideas but adjusts men’s ideas to Christian doctrine. Catholic doctrines are offensive to modern thought only because modern thought has ceased to be Christian, and the Catholic Church refuses to cease to be Christian. The church is the teacher and preserver of truth. It is in fact the “pillar and foundation of truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). CCC 171 declares – “The Church, the pillar and bulwark of the truth, faithfully guards the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. She guards the memory of Christ’s words; it is she who from generation to generation hands on the apostles’ confession of faith. As a mother who teaches her children to speak and so to understand and communicate, the Church our Mother teaches us the language of faith in order to introduce us to the understanding and the life of faith.”

We should not confuse Church doctrines with Church disciplines or non- substantive liturgical matters. A doctrine is an unchangeable truth revealed by God- such as the Virgin Birth, while a discipline is a changeable regulation- like the priest facing the people instead of the altar during the Mass. The eternal truths of God must be lived out in different times, cultures, and places. They do not change. Church disciplines, however, which help us live out these truths, are adapted as conditions in the Church change.

The Faith we profess is one that is revealed to the apostles and handed down to us. Our faith revolves around the Apostles’ Creed. It is not a faith that is voted upon by each new generation as one might decide to amend the Constitution. The bodies of bishops are not legislative but consultative in nature.

Doctrines, however, can develop, in the sense of being understood more fully and made more explicit. These fuller insights are passed on by the Church through its teaching office (Magisterium). The Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with the assistance of faithful theologians, comes to a deeper appreciation of certain teachings as time goes on. This is not invention, but proper growth. Whenever anyone insists that the Catholic Church has changed its doctrines, you can be sure that he has either confused a discipline with a doctrine, or else mistaken true doctrinal development for a new invention. What cannot change, and has never changed, is the substance of Catholic doctrine.

Now, that does not mean that our understanding of doctrine is static; on the contrary, being faithful to the truth of the Faith sometimes requires us to present the truth in a form that is more in keeping with contemporary needs and linguistic changes. Rev. George Johnson, author of the book, “The Story of the Church” describes the development of doctrines as follows – “The revealed Word of God is like a seed which is placed in the earth and opens up and sprouts and grows and develops until it becomes a great tree. Everything about the tree, the bark, the branches, the twigs, the leaves, comes from the seed, and nothing is added to it from outside.”

C Apostolic in Authority.

The Church’s pastors, the Popes and bishops, are directly connected with the apostles by the succession of their office, and that this succession witnesses to the organic oneness of the Church of the apostles with the Roman Catholic Church of our day. The bishops of the church are the successors of the apostles, and that the bishop of Rome is the successor of Peter. The leaders of the church must be able to trace their authority back to the Apostles (Pope Benedict XVI is the 265th pope in the line of succession). The doctrine of apostolic succession was explained at the Second Vatican Council in this way: “Bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the Apostles as pastors of the Church. Christ gave his disciples the promise of His presence and assistance to accomplish the task to teach and make disciples of all nations. Since God is always faithful to His promises, one can be certain that Christ’s guarantee of His presence did not die with the last Apostle, for the Lord had promised never to leave His people orphaned.

Authority in the church exists to safeguard the integrity of the Gospel message and to foster the unity of the Church. That the Apostles chose successors for themselves is clearly attested to throughout the New Testament, but most especially in the Pastoral Epistles.

The explicit steps in the establishing of an authoritative hierarchy are clear. Christ chose certain special men. “You have not chosen Me: but I have chosen you (Jn. 15:16). He gave these men His own mission. “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (Jn. 20:21). This commission included His teaching authority. “Teach all nations - - whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20) and He declared: “He who hears you, hears Me, and he who despises you despises Me”. (Luke 10:16). He also said – “If a man will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen” (Matt 18:17).

The Bible and Sacred Tradition are very clear in declaring that Christ left a Church that would be governed by a hierarchy of bishops, presbyters, and deacons with the successor of St. Peter as the head. Only the Catholic Church has such a governing hierarchy and can trace its authority – in an unbroken succession – back to the Apostolic authority established by Christ himself.

As the Catechism puts it - “The Church is apostolic because she is founded on the apostles, in three ways:

1. She was and remains built on the foundation of the Apostles;

2. She keeps and hands on the teaching she has received from the apostles;

3. She continues to be taught, sanctified, and guided by the apostles through their successors in pastoral office (CCC Par. 857). V Who Belongs to the Church? CCC, Par. 837 clarifies this issue and states that “Those who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept all the means of salvation given to the Church together with her entire organization, and who – by the bonds constituted by the profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical government, and communion – are joined in the visible structure of the Church of Christ, who rules through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops.” “Those who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church.” (CCC par. 838)

“With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord’s Eucharist.” (CCC par. 838)

Indeed, the only serious sticking point that these Orthodox churches have with the Catholic church is the matter of papal primacy and infallibility. For this reason, all Eastern Orthodox Orders are valid, which means their priests validly confect the Eucharist and confer absolution; in theory, then it would be possible to receive those sacraments from their clergy under certain circumstances, such as grave spiritual need and lack of access to a Catholic priest. The Orthodox – for the most part- do not want their people to receive from us nor us from them. Therefore, out of respect for their discipline, which is more restrictive than ours, we should refrain from attempting to receive either Holy Communion or the Sacrament of Penance.

Clearly, our Christian brothers and sisters who separated from the Catholic Church and also the so-called “cafeteria Catholics” who pick and choose only the teachings and practices of the church that sit well with them cannot be considered as truly belonging to the Catholic Church. Being 95% Catholic is a contradiction in terms. If the Catholic Church does not have the divine authority and infallibility she claims, then she is not half right or 95% right, but the most arrogant and blasphemous of all churches. It must be either/or, as with Christ himself: if Christ is not God, as he claims, then he is not 95% right, or half right, or just one of many good prophets who ever lived. Just as a mere man who claims to be God is not fairly good man but a very bad man, so a merely human Church that claims divine authority and infallibility is not a fairly good Church but a very bad Church.

For those who knowingly and deliberately (that is, not out of innocent ignorance) commit the sins of heresy (rejecting divinely revealed doctrine) or schism (separating from the Catholic Church and/or joining a schismatic church), no salvation would be possible until they repented and returned to live in Catholic unity.

The catechism further defines the relationship of the Catholic Church with non- Christians as follows: 1. With the Jewish People. “The first to hear the Word of God. To them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according the flesh, is the Christ.” Like us, they expect the coming of the Messiah. We await the return of the Messiah who died and rose from the dead while they await the coming of the Messiah, whose features remain hidden till the end of time; and the latter waiting is accompanied by the drama of not knowing or of misunderstanding Christ Jesus.” (CCC, Pars. 839 & 840) 2. With the Muslims. “They profess the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.” (CCC, Par. 841) 3. With other non-Christian religions. “The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as “a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.” (CCC, Par. 843)

Of course one religion is not as good as another. If it were so, there would not have been the need for God to send his only son to us. While all religions have elements of truth within them, and to the extent that they can lead human beings to God, they are not equal. If getting to Heaven were a matter of man-made roads up the mountain, then all the roads – all the religions of the world – might be basically equal. But the way is the “one way” God made, not the many ways man made. Jesus was clear on this point. He said “I am the way and the truth and the life” (Jn. 14:6). Note, He did not say, “I am A way, A form of truth, A way of life.” No. He was absolute in his statement.

Other religions teach that the way to heaven (or ultimate happiness or fulfillment) is some human way: for instance, practicing yoga, or experiencing a transformation of consciousness in “enlightenment,” or obeying a law well enough, or being sincere and kind enough. But Christianity’s answer is a Person: the One who claimed, “I AM the way, and the truth and the life.. No one comes to the Father but by Me” (Jn. 14:6). Christ does not merely teach the way to Heaven; he is the way to Heaven.

The catechism also states that “They could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it”. (CCC Par. 846) Of course, this affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church. Persons such as these can be saved if they earnestly seek to respond and to love him on the basis of the best information available to them. “Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience – those too may achieve eternal salvation” (CCC Par. 847). If we reject truth because of reasonable, intellectual doubt – God MIGHT accept this. However, if we reject truth because of stubbornness or pre-formed prejudice or because of emotional rejection, then we will be held responsible. Christ warns each of us in John 15:22 – “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.” The following are the conditions for the salvation of Non-Catholics: 1. He must have at least a Baptism of desire, i.e. he must die with perfect contrition for his sins, and with sincere love of God. 2. He must be ignorant of the fact that the Catholic Church is the only True Church; and 3. He must not be responsible for that ignorance by deliberately neglecting to inquire when doubts have perhaps come to him about his position; Such good dispositions are an implicit will to be a Catholic. In this sense, the Catholic Church is the only road to Heaven, all who are saved belonging to her either actually or implicitly. “All salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body” (CCC846). All who are saved, whether Christian, Jews, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan, or atheist, are in fact saved by Christ, however imperfectly they may know him. Since we have no salvation without Christ, and we do not know Christ without the Church, it follows that there is no salvation without the Church.

If others too can be saved, what then is the advantage of being a Catholic? Why does the Church send out missionaries if non-Catholics can be saved? The answer, of course, is that we have the glorious certainty of the true faith or the advantage of having the certainty of doing God’s will just as He desires. “The Catholic Church alone has the fullness of truth, the fullness of the faith. She bears in herself and, administers the totality of the means of salvation” (CCC par. 868)

Though there may be profound truth and goodness in other religions, they are incomplete because they lack the fullness of Christ. The church’s claim of superiority is not for herself but for her Lord. Catholics can know him in greater detail and depth than any others through the teachings of the Church he founded to teach in his name and with his authority. Therefore, Catholics have a much greater responsibility to practice the truth they know so much more fully, and to share it with the world in both word and deed.

Not having the fullness of truth makes one susceptible to deception. Although they seek the same God, they are easily prone to misunderstanding him since the truth that they know can easily be distorted without proper and infallible guidance. Christians are saddled with the Jim Jones’ and David Koreshes who ensnare their followers to false hopes. The Jews are burdened by a Dr. Baruch Goldstein, who killed 29 people in a West Bank mosque out of hatred for Islam. Muslims are shackled by fanatics who would not hesitate to commit the most vicious acts of terrorism in the name of God. All killed in the name of God. Deception can spell disaster.

The Catholic Church has all the elements Jesus intended his church to have. It has the “whole pie”, not just a piece of it. Protestant churches and some fundamentalists certainly have important “slices of the pie”. But we have those “slices of the pie” too plus have the great blessing of the Eucharist, the sacraments, Magisterium, the Holy Father and the bishops, Mary as our spiritual mother, Sacred Tradition. Now, knowing all these with certainty, it is incumbent upon us to share what we have and not selfishly allocate them to ourselves alone. The church does have the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men. (CCC 848) “God wills the salvation of everyone through the knowledge of the truth. Salvation is found in the truth. Those who obey the prompting of the Spirit of Truth are already on the way to salvation. But the Church, to whom this truth has been entrusted, must go out to meet their desire, so as to bring them the truth.” (CCC 851)

The recent declaration of the church entitled “Dominus Jesus” clearly defines the church’s position in regard to those outside the church. It states – “outside of her structure, many elements can be found of sanctification and truth, that is, in those Churches and ecclesial communities which are not yet in full communion with the Catholic church. But with respect to these, it needs to be stated that they derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church. . . these separated Churches and communities as such, though we believe they suffer from defects, have by no means been deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church. If it is true that the followers of other religions can receive divine grace, it is also certain that objectively speaking they are in a gravely deficient situation in comparison with those who, in the Church, have the fullness of the means of salvation.”

Some have accused the Catholic Church of arrogance by this statement and believe that it counters the spirit of ecumenism. This criticism was recently played up in the media and has even suggested that the Declaration has created controversies among Catholic theologians. This claim certainly has no basis whatsoever as it has not in anyway deviated from the principles and spirit of Vatican II but merely reiterates the same. It only repeats the central ideas of Vatican II. In fact, it is a simple restatement of the catechism which came out earlier in 1992 and which drew admiration and praise from all over the world.

Our own Pope responded to these criticisms as follows – “Our confession of Christ as the only Son, through whom we ourselves see the face of the Father is not arrogance that shows contempt for other religions, but the joyful recognition that Christ showed himself to us without any merit on our part. The Dominus Jesus declaration, in the wake of Vatican II, shows that with this the salvation of non-Christians is not denied, but explains its ultimate source in Christ, in whom God and man are united. If with Vatican II, the document that the one Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church, it does not intend with this to express little regard for the other churches and ecclesial communities.” CONCLUSION: When examined critically from a number of viewpoints, only the Roman Catholic Faith stands up to the criteria of being the one, true Faith referred to by St. Paul. Only the Roman Catholic Church is historically founded by Christ on St. Peter and the other Apostles; only the Roman Catholic church has a holy doctrine, from its holy Heavenly Founder, and produces holy people in every age; only the Roman Catholic church teaches the “entire” faith of Christ and teaches it universally throughout the world and throughout all time; only the Roman Catholic Church is one in it teaching, one in its practice, one in its government, one in its people, and one in its head – the Pope in Rome. Only the Roman Catholic Church makes complete sense – when viewed from all these perspectives. We are thus certain that the Catholic Church as it exists today is the church that Christ founded. All are called to belong to the Church. We have the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ who is with us through the Church he founded. Our mission is to share that good news to everyone that they too may belong to the Church.