The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-10-25
POPULAR APOLOGET TICS
Adapted from the German of Rev. Pc.
ter Mikes, S. j., by Rev James
Watcher.
5. The Church is Invisible.

| 5. The Church is Invisible.
Objection: The Kingdom of God
| (the church, is ian idea which only
gradually and in many forms mate
rallied and appeared in the history
OF the world :. but is after all only
something Interior" something invis-
ibe. (Hase, 1890 (PoIemik, p. 8 and
s.. "
Answer: 1. Here the end and
| means are confounded. The end of
the Church is certainly something in
terror, something invisible: the union
of man with God Gin this life through
| grace and in the next through glory
and thereby the glory of God. But
the means to attain this end is the
visible Church, visible, organized So
ciety, which through it's visible teach
ers, pastors, and priests is to teach
men Christ's doctrine, show them the
way to Christ and through the means
of grace unite them inwardly with
Him. The Church on earth and our
| belonging to her does not form it's
own object or end, but is the means to
the invisible union with God.
| 2. The Kingdom of God (the
Church) did not appear as a mere idea
in the history of the world on the first
Pentecost, but as something very Wis
| IDLE and real. The 5000 converts did
not only turn inwardly to the Holy
Ghost, but outwardly to the leaders
of the Church, to Peter and the Elev-
en-, that is, to the first Pope and
Bishops. Through the visible sacra-
ment of baptism they were received
| into the visible community or society
of the faithful and obeyed the visible
spiritual authority. But a society
which obeys visibly it's visible supe-
riors is certainly something visible.
3. Christ demands that all men
should join His Church. But then it
must be visible. He calls the Church
city on the mountain to show that
| it is visible far and wide. HE that
| does not hear the Church, let him be
to thee as the heather and publican
| (Matth. 1910. But how can one
hear an invisible church? He tells
Peter to feed His flock. A church with
an invisible guide would be like a
school with an invisible teacher, like
a state with an invisible ruler, like an
army with an invisible general All
a very headless affair
| If Christ wanted to do something
very awkward He would have only to
leave His doctrine to the will Of man
as IAN idea appearing in the history
of the world" What would have be-
come of it we can see by looking at
those religious communities that sep
arated themselves from the one Wis
| ible Church. Often not even the most
essential of the original idea of Christ
is left, e. g., the divinity of Christ.
6. Part-churches.
Objections: All Christian churches
are parts of one Christian Church
which is spread over the earth. But
the whole truth is not present in any
part-church without an adn1ixture of
error. (Tschackert (+1et1), Polemik,
p. 81.
Answer: This conception destroys
the Church Of Christ and naturally
leads to religious indifferentism. For
if no Christian Church is in the full
possession of the truth, then everyone
has only mixture of truth and error
and hence is certainly not the religion
of Christ, which is absolute truth
| Moreover, this theory makes faith i'm.
possible, for then we never know
whether a certain doctrine is true OF
false, hence doubt but no faith neces
sarily follows. Why should l join a
fallible religion?
2. Let us look at this in a prac.
ticnl Mariner.
irg- I 80 to confession or not
Wat did Christ mean when He said
i"Whcsn si1-g vcu shall forgive, they
are forgiven them" etc.? In which
part-church is there ''the Spirit OF
Truth" on this point?"
Are there seven Sacraments or two
or are none really necessary? Which
part-church tells me the truth? Or is
Christ Indifferent to what believe
Why then did He say: "He that does
not believe, shall be condemned
i Mark 16.16)?
+ Is it the will of God that I obey the
Pope or not?. This and may other
things I must know with certainty
But if cannot obtain a reasonable
certainty on such enlinently practical
points, then Christ has not taken sui.
fcient care of His Church, but has left
it to the whims of men. The practical
consequence is religious Indifferent
ism.
/ 8. The fact is that Christ has not
| founded any part-churches, but one
united world Church.
/ To the rulers Of the Church, the
| Apostles and their head, Peter, Christ
lpromised the Holy Ghost who should
teach them all truth and commanded
them to teach all truth: Teach them
i to observe all things whatsoever |
have commanded you" (Matth. 2S:20).
He did not say: Peter, you go to
Rome and preach part of the truth
| taught you; John, you go to Asia
/ Minor and preach another part:
+ Thomas, you go ito Persia and India
and preach still another part Ny