The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-06-24

IOiu could not long exist, were IL torn
asunder by internal strife Christ
Himself said that a kingdom divided
against itself could not stand
But even more explicitly did our
Lord predicate unity as an essential
note of His Church. He prayed to
the Father that ALI may be one, even
as you and / are One" How can all
men be united in perfect union if
there be a wide divergence of belief
amongst them, if some believe one
doctrine and others deny tin a
word, if they are not as one in their
religious tenets? How can there be
a unity, like to the unity of nature,
which identifies the Father and the
Son, if men be divided intos isects
which are directly contradictory the
one OF the other? How can we predi-
cate unity of mankind, if men refuse
to recognize and obey one, central
authority in religious matters? 'Other
sheep / have" said Our Lord, that
are not of tbs fold, them also I must
save, they shall hear My voice and
NlAC1 2 snail OC OIIC ohCCpIOIu anu OlC
shepherd In the true Church of
Christ, must be found this oneness or
unity of belief and government. Other
wise Christ could not have imposed the
penalty of exclusion and eXcommuni-
cation on the one who refuses to hear
the Church, let him be to thee as the
heather and the publican
The second mark, or identifying
note of the true Church is sanctity or
holiness. Jesus Christ intended that
His Church should be characterized
by such holiness that all men might
thereby recognize it as the true
Church. Our Lord said, And for
them do I sanctify Myself, that they
also may be sanctifed in truth" And
| st. Paul, in his epistle to the Ephe-
SLAMS, wrote, Christ also loved the
Church, and delivered Himself UP for
| it; that He might sanctify it :.
that He might present it to Himself
a glorious Church, not having spot or
wrinkle or any such thing; but that
it should be holy and without blemish.' y
| If Christ willed that all men should
| be sanctifed, and, furthermore, if he
sacrificed His own life that the Church
might thereby be made holy, we
naturally conclude that holiness is one
of the marks by which men may know
it. AS the Church is sanctifier of
men, as we'll as teacher of mankind,
it must necessarily be holy, not only
| in it's teachings but also in the means
it adopts for it's members sanctifica.
ton. And those who faithfully follow
it's direction and make use of the
means it suggests must therefore be.
come holy and sanctified. The true
Church of Christ must possess the note
of holiness.
The third mark of the Church is
Catholicity or Universally, that is, ii
must actually or potentially be found
in every part of the inhabited world
Our Lord said, Going therefore, teach
We all nations; baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son
and of the Holy Ghost" ''The truth
of the Gospel, which is come unto you
as also it is in the whole world,
wrote ST. Paul, Christ intended that
| His Gospel should be preached tG
| every living creature, in every land
and every cline The Church, as the
official dissemination of revealed truth
must be Catholic or Universal, it must
in fact, or in possibility, be dispersed
throughout the whole world teaching
and sanctifying every creature made
to the image and likeness of God. The
Saviour died for all men. Then all
men, without exception, must be given
the opportunity of learning of Christ
and His divine teaching The true
Church must possess this third mark
of Catholicity.
The further note of the true Church
is Apostolicity. Christ said, Teach
all nations and behold am with you
even to the contamination of the
world" st. Paul write, Cor how shall
they believe Him, of whom they have
not heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher? And how shall
they preach, if they be not sent?" Ii
our Lord intended that all nations
should be taught, He surely meant that
all nations at all times should receive
the message of salvation. But how
are those who live after the death OF
the first Apostles to receive their in.
struction? By the successors of the
Apostles and only by the authorized
successors of the Apostles, or by
others legitimately delegated By
Apostolicity, then, we mean that the
Church of today is the successor OF
the Church of Apostolic times, and
that the Bishops of the Church OF
.oday are the successors of the Apos-
ties. Thus we trace the Church back
through the ages and show it's un.
interrupted line of succession. The
true Church must prove it's Apostolic
lineage, otherwise it lacks the fourth
note or mark which Christ intended
His Church should possess.