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Why Be Catholic? Fr. Bill McCarthy, MSA 1. The Catholic Church is the only true church. Only Christ, as the Son of God can and did establish his Church as His Mystical Body. Theologically speaking, therefore, there can be no man made church, no other church, for no man can form his own "mystical body," by trying to place his own spirit into its members. A man-made church is a contradiction. 2. Christ only wanted one Church, for He is not the author of division, but only of unity. He prayed that we may be one, as He and the Father are One (Jn 17:20-21), that in "one flock and one Shepherd" (Jn 10:16) "there is but one Church, one Spirit, one Faith, one Lord, one Baptism, one Father who is over all and in all." (Eph 4:4-5) 3. Only the Catholic Church is the infallible "pillar and standard of Truth (1 Tim 3:15). Because Christ, when he founded His Church, established it upon Peter as a "Rock" and gave to him and his successors the primacy, the infallible prophetic anointing that was given to all of God's true prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah "You are Peter (Rock) and upon this rock I will build my Church and to you I will give the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, so that whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven...and the forces of death's realm shall not prevail against it" (Matt 16:15-19). 4. Because God is One, Holy, and One Holy Family who loves all nations universally, what God is doing upon earth is creating one, holy, universal (Catholic) family. The nature of God becomes the nature of his work. "Agere sequitur esse." It cannot be otherwise. To think that God is creating a divided, or unholy, or partisan church, simply contradicts God's nature. There simply cannot be more than one Church, or an unholy Church, or a non- Catholic Church. Members of the Church can resist the Holy Spirit and be sinful, but insofar as we say "no" to God, we are not into God or into His Mystical Body. 5. Only the Catholic Church is God's Master Plan of Salvation. The Catholic Church alone fulfills the Old Testament covenants (the Adamic, Noatic, Abramic, Mosaic, Davidic, and Ezradic). Each covenant had a sacramental sign (Tree of Life, Rainbow, Circumcision, Passover, Throne and Altar). The sacramental sign of the new and Catholic Covenant (for all nations) is the Eucharist, the covenant in Christ's Blood. 6. Therefore only the Catholic Church has a Church Triumphant (in heaven) a Church Suffering (in Purgatory) and a Church Militant (on Earth). Purgatory, of course, is in the Bible, as are each of the essential teachings and beliefs of the Church. 7. The Catholic Church canonized the Bible, that is, the Church put it into a sacred canon in the year 393 A.D. at the Council of Hippo with the Pope concurring, obviously. 8. Only the Catholic Church opens us to all the means of sanctification, consisting nonetheless that everything is Grace, that is God's pure unmerited favor (pH. 2:8). These means include not only faith, but also hope, love, forgiveness, Baptism, Eucharist, and even the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. (confer. Eph 2:8-10; Mt 25:31-46; Mk 16:16; Jn 6:52-58) 9. Only the Catholic Church has validly ordained bishops with apostolic succession and validly ordained priests who are commissioned by Christ, not only to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, but also to forgive sins. (confer. Mt 14:13-21; Mk 14:12-25; Lk 22:17-20; 1 Cor 11:17-34; Jn 20:19-23) 10. Only the Catholic Church honors Mary as our mother. "All generations shall call me blessed" (confer. Rev. 12:17). |
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