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The One True Church
P63. Christ's words
and our own reason tell us
that there are four chief marks or signs
by which the true Church can be known.
The true Church is
One;
Holy;
Catholic - that is Universal;
and Apostolic. P
That little old Penny Catechism, yet again, gives us the simple truth of things.
I would not like to consider too much in this space, on what our wonderful and beautiful children are being taught in 'Catholic' schools nowadays. Like my friends in Christ, I just acknowledge the ongoing sadness within, that they are being taught the outdated modernist version of anti-Catholicism.
Nevertheless, let me return to the four chief marks of Christ's one and only Church. There is no denying the logic, the sanity and the inevitable conclusion that issues from these proofs of Catholicism - to anyone who really seeks Truth.
I would like to expand on these four chief marks;
P65. The Catholic Church is one because all its members -
believe the same truths;
offer to God the same Holy Sacrifice;
share the same Sacraments;
and are united under one visible head on earth,
the Pope. P
In these unanswerable proofs of unity, we have to consider our own positions - for the love and the gratitude and the glory of God - and, for the very same reasons, we have to consider the position of others who claim to be Catholic.
That is to say,
we must be judgmental.
If anyone says to me I am not judgmental, I would not say it aloud but I would know that he deceives himself - he does not deceive me.
P 66. The Catholic Church is holy
because it was founded by Jesus Christ;
and through its holy teachings
and the Sacraments,
it gives us all the graces that,
in every age,
make men and women remarkable for holiness. P
Today, with the awful poisoning of modernism in The Church, many feel that The Church could hardly be called holy any more.
Not so.
We have to realise that
P 72. The members of the Church
are our Holy Father, the Pope
and with him all the Bishops, Priests and people
who are baptised
and who acknowledge the Pope
to be the Vicar of Christ on earth
and the visible head of the Church. P
This is a very simple method of viewing the members of The Church, but remains factual. Once we realise that many who claim the sacred name of Catholicism as their Faith, but who no longer practise The Faith, except for the sake of appearances, and even presume to secretly or deviously undermine it,
are no longer Catholic,
then we will realise that those who remain, constitute The real Church.
And those who remain make up the holiness of The Church. If we look around, we will find that The Universal Church is still bringing forth men and women remarkable for holiness. In fact, it is my opinion, that The Church today is more successful at this then ever before in Her history.
Not only has She produced the likes of Mother Theresa, Mother Angelica, Father Gobbi, the children of Fatima including Sister Lucia, still alive, and innumerable others, but She has produced a great, great multitude of steadfast and devout lay men and women, everywhere. These lay people have issued forth out the brutal attacks of modernism on Truth Itself, and therefore forces forth heroism and loyalty from the children of The Church, often without local leadership - indeed, in spite of local leadership.
P 67. The Catholic Church is universal
because its Founder, Jesus Christ,
appointed it to teach all nations;
and everywhere, in every age,
it teaches everything that He taught. P
Again, we might observe that some 'Catholics' no longer teach or accept The Truth, which will set you free, but real Catholics still strive for this Truth that Jesus came upon earth to deliver, even though it meant The Cross for Him.
P 68. The Catholic Church is apostolic
because the Bishops of The Catholic Church
can trace back their authority
in an unbroken line,
to Jesus Christ and the Apostles. P
There is no need to comment too much on the Apostle Judas who betrayed his incomparable stature before God in the Priesthood that could have been his; nor on the modern day Judases who do the same thing.
The clear historic truth remains the same - Catholic Bishops can trace back their authority in an unbroken line to Jesus
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