|  Upon This Rock
The Catholic Church Is The Only True Church "Whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said; Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him; Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona; because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee; That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:16-18). JESUS GIVES HIS AUTHORITY TO THE APOSTLES "And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying; All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." (Matthew 28: 18-20). Can you learn to save your soul just by reading the Bible? No, because certain things in the Bible can be misunderstood and because the Bible does not include everything God taught. "Understanding this first, that no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation." (2 Peter 1:20). 'As also in all his [St. Paul's] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest [twist], as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:16). What did Jesus do to make sure that His teaching would never be misunderstood? He established a church. "The house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (I Timothy 3: 15). When did Jesus establish His Church? Nearly two thousand years ago. How many churches did Jesus establish? Only one. "Upon this rock I will build my church." (Matthew 16: 18). "There shall be one fold and one shepherd." (John 10:16). How long did Jesus plan His Church to last? Until the End of the World. "I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." (Matthew 28:20). How did Jesus establish His Church? By giving His authority to the Apostles to rule and to teach. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:20). Did the people have to obey the Apostles? Yes, because they spoke with the authority of Jesus, and therefore, to disobey them would be a sin. "He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me." (Luke 10:16). Did the authority of the Apostles die with them? No, they handed down their authority to others, since Jesus instituted His Church to last until the End of the World. Some of the men who received authority from the Apostles: Matthias (Acts 1:22), Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2), Timothy; Silas, SyIvanus, Titus, Luke, Mark (Acts 17:14; 2 Corinthians 1:19; 2 Timothy 14:11). Which church today has this same authority? The Catholic Church, because it is the only Church established by Jesus Christ. How do you know the Catholic Church is the only true church? History shows that it is the only church that can be traced back to Christ. Does everyone have to obey the Catholic Church? Yes, because she alone has the authority of Jesus to rule and to teach. To disobey the Catholic Church knowingly is just as much a sin as to disobey Jesus Christ or His Apostles. Where did the Protestant churches come from? They were established by men who had no authority to start churches of their own. Who started the first Protestant church? The first Protestant church was established less than 500 years ago in Germany by Martin Luther, in 1520. Name the founders of other leading Protestant churches. When Where Name of Church Founder Founded Founded Episcopalian King Henry VIII 1534 England Presbyterian John Knox 1560 Scotland Congregationalist Robert Browne 1583 England Baptist John Smith 1600 Holland Methodist John Wesley 1739 England Adventist William Miller 1831 New York Christian Scientist Mary Baker Eddy 1879 Massachusetts PRACTICAL POINTS A "non-Catholic" who suspects that the Catholic Church is the one true Church of God and does not investigate her claims with a mind to join if her claims prove to be true cannot be saved, because outside of Christ's Mystical Body (which is the Catholic Church) there is no salvation. A "non-Catholic" who, through no fault of his own, does not realize that the Catholic Church is the only true Church and who dies with Sanctifying Grace in his soul, will go to Heaven, since "Christ died for all" (2 Corinthians 5:15) and "will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1Timothy 2:4). Still, those who are not visibly members of the Catholic Church have many difficulties trying to save their souls without the guidance of that Church which cannot teach error and without her Sacraments, of which Baptism imparts the life of God to the soul (Sanctifying Grace) and the other Sacraments add to the Sanctifying Grace in the soul, take away sins, and also give other graces that enable a person to do good and avoid sin. You should try to bring others "to the knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:4) by prudently suggesting that they take instructions in the True Religion. "And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry; for the edifying of the body of Christ: Until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ; that henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doc- trine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive. But doing the truth in charity; we may in all things grow up in him who is the head, even Christ." (Ephesians 4: 11-15). CONTINUE ON TO QUALITIES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH | 
