Today we conclude our series and discover why we know that the Catholic Church is right in all her teachings.
WE BELIEVE IN ONE HOLY CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH
In chapter 16 of the Gospel of St. Matthew Jesus founded the Church. He made St. Peter the first leader, who we now call pope. In Matthew 18:17-18 Jesus places the Church as the final authority and gives the apostles divine authority to govern the Church. In St. Paul’s First Letter to Timothy 3:15, St. Paul calls the Church, “the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.”
Jesus gives His Church the authority to infallibly teach the truth about faith and morals.
Reading the Father’s of the Church from the late first century and into the second century, we find the that the authority of the pope and the Church is sacred and held by all Christians. In the fourth century St. Augustine said, “I would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already moved me.” The Church was given the authority to teach and dispense the sacraments by Jesus in Matthew 28:16 and following.
It is understood that there is one Church, that this Church is holy because it is united to Christ, Catholic because it is for all mankind and Apostolic because the pope and all the bishops descend from the Apostles and have the same authority Jesus gave the Apostles.
The authority of the Church to teach infallibly, specifically the pope, insures us all that we are being taught the truth when it comes to faith and morals. This is a great gift Jesus gave to His Church.
So, this is how we know that the Catholic Church, when she teaches us the truths about our Faith and about morality, is teaching truths revealed by God. When the pope, or the bishops together in union with the pope, teaches in an official capacity we know it is true.
This does not mean that an individual priest, or even bishop, can’t teach error. If you are ever in doubt about what someone says, it is a good idea to check the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You can click HERE for an online version of the Catechism and use the search window to find the topic you are looking for.
