THE TRUE CHURCH 

Its Marks and Attributes 

BY 

REV. EDWARD M. BETOWSKI 

N E W YORK 

T H E P A U L I S T P R E S S 

4 0 1 W E S T S 9TH STREET 



Nihil Obstat: 

Rucupis, 
Die 21 Septembris, 1938. 

WLLFRIDUS T . CRAUGH, 

Censor Deputatus. 

Imprimatur: 

Rucupis, 
Die 21 Septembris, 1938. 

JACOBUS EDUARDUS, 

Episcopus Roffensis. 

COPYRIGHT, 1 9 3 8 , BY 

T H E MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ST . PAUL THE APOSTLE 

IN THE STATE o r N E W YORK 

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED IN THE U . S. A. 

BY THE PAUMST PRESS, NEW YORK, N. Y. 

©sseldlflec! M l 



F O R E W O R D 

THE priest or catechist engaged in the instruction 

of secondary school children as well as the leaders of 

religious discussion groups, will welcome the appear-

ance of any new material for the presentation of the 

teaching of the Church. When that material comes 

from the pen of such a competent teacher as Father 

Betowski pi St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie, it is 

doubly welcome. In the present time, there is so 

much indifference about belief, so much small talk 

about "one religion as good as another," in short, so 

much illogical reasoning about the organization of 

the Church of Christ, that a treatise on the true 

Church, its marks and attributes is almost an inspira-

tion. A discussion group working with this treatise 

should complete its sessions with a very clear concep-

tion of the nature and function of the Church of 

God. 

•I* JAMES E . KEARNEY, 

Bishop of Rochester. 





I N T R O D U C T I O N 

T H I S pamphlet, "The True Church—Its Marks and At-

tributes," is designed to show all who are interested, both 

Catholic and non-Catholic, the beauty, the goodness and great-

ness of the Catholic Church. There are some things so small 

they escape observation. If the Catholic Church escapes ob-

servation, it is because it is too large. There is nothing like it 

in all creation, or in all history. It surpasses all other institu-

tions and organizations because the Son of God is its Founder. 

Therefore, it is divine. The Catholic Church is—to use the 

words of our Lord—"The Kingdom of God" on earth. 

The Catholic Church may not be referred to as a sect, foi 

a sect is something which is cut off. The Catholic Church has 

not been cut off; it is the main branch; it is the tree itself 

that was planted by Christ. To regard the Church as a society 

concerned solely about things of another world, is an inaccu-

rate, distorted view. The Church is interested in religion, edu-

cation, charity and every other vital question that concerns 

human beings in this world. Nothing that pertains to the wel-

fare of human souls is foreign to its interests. There is noth-

ing narrow or parochial about the Catholic Church, for it em-

braces all truth as well as all nations. 

Why Christ instituted the Catholic Church, what marks 

He placed upon its brow so that it can be easily recognized as 

the Church of God, with what qualities He endowed it so that 

it might endure unspotted and unimpaired through all the cen-

turies even to the end of the world—these are some of the 

questions which the author of The True Church has treated 

clearly and simply. 

5 



6 INTRODUCTION 

The following pages have been prepared primarily for dis-
cussion clubs—high school, college and adult. They will be 
welcomed also by those outside the Church who have the in-
terest to find out what the Roman Catholic Church is. Un-
questionably there are hundreds of thousands who would glad-
ly embrace the Catholic Faith if they but knew the Church 
as it really is, in all its beauty and truth. Here is a blessed 
opportunity for Catholic discussion club members to do a bit 
of apostolic work by inviting their non-Catholic friends and 
neighbors to their discussion club meetings. An earnest study 
of this pamphlet will give any reader or student a better appre-
ciation of the Church of Christ. But be eager to pass on this 
blessing to those who are in search of religious truth. 

JOHN M . DUFFY, 

Rochester Diocesan Director, 
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. 



THE CHURCH 

Around the World 

ON a certain Sunday evening (July 10, 1938, to be precise) an airplane carrying five men left New York headed east. 
At the close of the following Thursday the same plane came 
roaring out of the west and landed gracefully upon the very 
field from which it had started. Howard Hughes and his com-
panions had flown around the world in less than four days! 
Then there was a parade of welcome, and a paper-storm among 
the sky-scrapers, as ticker tape and bits of torn telephone 
directories drifted into the canyons of lower Manhattan. The 
demonstration closed with orations. The courageous pilot had 
found blind flying in the fog less terrifying than being called 
upon to speak. But he had been in a position to get a bird's-
eye view of the landscape, and so after landing he took time to 
prepare a few remarks for the public. He began by trying to 
divert attention from himself. He praised his companions of 
the air; he extolled the ground crew; he explained the part 
played by the technicians who had consumed 200,000 hours 
in preparing the mechanical device that had encircled the globe 
in less time than it took the first passenger train to steam 
from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. In conclusion came the hope 
that his flight might contribute something towards the forma-
tion of a universal fellowship of aviators from every country, 
united by a common bond whereby the science and the art of 
flying would be used, not merely to guard against the destruc-
tive influences of ill will, but for the well-being of the entire 
human family regardless of race, color or geographical location. 

Man a Social Being 

Without submitting to the peril of flying, the reader can 
sit in an easy chair and encircle the globe mentally by reading 
the press despatches of his daily paper, or by turning on the 
radio when news commentators are spanning land and sea to 

7 



8 THE TRUE CHURCH 

reveal what is going on all over the world. Through reflection 
he can gather a summary of the diversified and, at times, con-
flicting forms of human activity. I t may dawn upon him that 
the modern world is like a badly jumbled jig-saw puzzle. He 
may understand why the man who flew around the globe wants 
to bind the whole world together by a ring that will be more 
permanent than the quickly vanishing breeze produced by a 
propeller. Such a ring should serve, not merely to unite bird-
men in a rightly ordered flock, but to bind together men of 
every profession and occupation in a manner so exalted that 
human hearts under every sky will be encircled by the charity 
which unites knowing creatures to the all-knowing Creator. 
Such a fellowship should be marked by: 

oneness of mind, 
wholesomeness of spirit, 
openness of membership to the properly disposed, 
and security of foundation. 

As a matter of fact such a fellowship does exist. I t is called 
the true Church. 

Definitions of Society 
Suppose we undertake a study of the A B C's of human 

companionship. The word, society, comes from the Latin, 
socius, meaning a companion. In its basic sense, society may 
be defined as a stable union of human beings working to-
gether for some common end. Do not confuse human society 
with the grouping of creatures that are not endowed with rea-
son. If you have ever disturbed a hornet's nest you may have 
learned, to your sorrow, that the hornets are rapid fliers and 
highly organized. But you would not speak of the stings as 
having been inflicted by a society of hornets, at least not by a 
polite society. Properly speaking, hornets are not capable of 
being polite or impolite because they are not moved by intelli-
gence, but by instinct. Flocks of birds move with marvelous 
precision, but conscious foresight and deliberation are not be-
hind their movements. They, too, are directed by instinct. 



THE CHURCH 9 

But when birdmen, or aviators, fly in formation, reason is the 
directive influence. Hence it would be possible to have a true 
society of aviators. 

A society is to be distinguished from a mob. Mobs are 
moved by emotion; societies presuppose permanence and or-
ganization of membership. Moreover, in a true society we 
have not only a number of persons, but authority binding them 
together. It is by submission to authority, residing in a king, 
or president, or leader of some sort, that the members make a 
unified effort to attain the common end of the society. In other 
words, while the members do not lose their individuality they 
are subordinate to the purpose of the society. This gives rise 
to the distinction between ruler and subject. 

Artificial and Natural Societies 

Societies may be classified as artificial and natural. In an 
artificial society the members enter into the fellowship of their 
own free will. There is no real obligation to do so. For exam-
ple,- if you get interested in the technical study of the stars 
you will soon learn that there is an International Society of 
Astronomers, who of their own volition have made a common 
fund of the findings of telescopes throughout the world. 

When the bond of union is imposed by the very nature of 
man, the society is called natural. The basic, natural Society 
is the family. This is so, not only from the very elements 
which constitute man, but also by God's appointment.1 In a 
well ordered family the husband and father is the head of the 
home, the wife and mother is the heart of the home, and chil-
dren as subordinate members give prompt and cheerful obe-
dience to head and heart working in harmony.2 The family is 
a fundamental and natural society, and constitutes the unit 
of the State. But the family is an imperfect fellowship in the 
sense that it is dependent upon the State which is a perfect 
natural society directed towards the temporal welfare. The 
family, since it is an imperfect society, should be dependent 

1 Cf. Genesis 1 and 3. 
2 Cf. Family, Catholic Dictionary, p. 359. 



10 THE TRUE CHURCH 

also upon the Church, the one perfect, supernatural society 
which has for its sublime purpose the fulfillment of the long-
ing which is written on the heart of every normal human being 
who is able to enjoy consciousness, namely, a desire for com-
plete happiness that will never for an instant be poisoned by 
the fear of losing it. This is the ultimate end for which man 
was created. It is called union with God forever in heaven.3 

The Function of the State 

Historically and logically the family gave rise to the State, 
in which such temporal advantages are developed as unasso-
ciated individuals and families would be unable to attain. In 
Washington you will find majestic buildings given over to the 
legislative, judicial and executive departments of the nation. 
The legislature enacts laws, the judiciary interprets the consti-
tution and the legal enactments, and the executive branch aims 
to carry out the mandates of the civil government. The State, 
in virtue of its aim which is temporal, is inferior to the Church 
whose aim is eternal. If the State attempts to exercise author-
ity in the domain of faith and morals it becomes an usurper. 
It is unreasonable to argue for the complete separation of 
Church and State even though the vast majority of the citizens 
belong to the Church. Indirectly the Church should promote 
the temporal welfare of the State by insisting that each of her 
members fulfill the duties of his walk in life. Moreover, the 
State while having direct supervision over temporal concerns 
should by that very fact work indirectly for the sanctification 
of her citizens. From this it is clearly deduced that the ideal 
is not the complete separation of Church and State, although in 
certain grave circumstances such a separation may be tolerated 
or even preferred.4 

Definitions of Church 

If you are driving through a small village and see two build-
ings with spires, you may say, "There are two churches in this 

8 C/. Man, Catholic Catechism, Gasparri. p. 15. 
iCI. Church and State, Catholic Catechism, Gasparri, p. 111. 



THE CHURCH 11 

community." Obviously you are referring to houses of wor-
ship. The word church came into our language from the Greek, 
Kyriakon, which means "belonging to the Lord." During the 
third century it was used to signify a Christian place of wor-
ship. As you read the New Testament you will find that the 
word, church, is sometimes used to signify a family of Chris-
tians (Romans xvi. 5), or to refer to the pastors (Matt, xviii. 
17). Furthermore, the term has been applied by Pope Pius 
IX in his brief "Arcano divinae providentiae" (1868) to "the 
Bishops of the Churches of the Eastern Rite who are not in 
communion with the Apostolic See." By courtesy (we say 
this in charity) the word church is extended to Protestant reli-
gious organizations. 

Communion of Saints 

In its widest sense the Church means the society of all 
those, whether angels or men, from our First Parents to the 
last man, who are united into what is called the Communion 
of Saints. In the plan of revelation and redemption three 
stages are distinguished: first, the period of the natural law, 
when sacrifice was offered in the light of the promise of a future 
Redeemer; then the Mosaic period, when the outlines of the 
Church became clearer in the unity of the ministry, and in its 
teaching power, although it was only a foreshadowing of what 
the Saviour was to form in the fullness of time; and finally, 
the foundation of the Church by Christ. The form of the 
Church as it was in the Old Testament did not cease to exist 
in our Lord by way of destruction, but by way of translation 
and fulfillment. The Founder said, "I am come not to destroy 
but to fulfill" (Matt. v. 17). This fulfillment is clearly defini-
tized when Jesus says, "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I 
will build my Church" (Matt. xvi. 17). 

In the Apostles' Creed we say, "I believe in the Commun-
ion of Saints." This means that between the members of the 
Church in Heaven, in Purgatory, and on earth—there exists, 
by reason of their close union with one another under Christ, 
their Head, a mutual communication of spiritual riches. The 



12 THE TRUE CHURCH 

Church in the fullness of its organism outstretches the terri-
tory of time and space and includes not only those who are 
still on earth and constitute what is called the Church Militant, 
but also embraces the Saints and Angels in heaven (the 
Church Triumphant), as well as the souls in Purgatory (the 
Church Suffering). Our study turns especially towards the 
Church Militant, or what is usually called the Catholic Church, 
which may be defined as a society composed of all the faithful 
who profess the same Faith, use the same Sacraments, and 
pursue salvation under one common head, the Holy Father, 
who is the visible representative of Jesus Christ, the God-man 
who died for the salvation of all. 

Questions 

1. From what Latin word is the term, society, derived? 
Explain. 

2. Does a flock of wild geese deserve to be called a so-
ciety? 

3. Would you call a mob of angry men a society? 

4. Distinguish between an artificial society and one that 
is natural. 

5. Explain the part that authority plays in a well-ordered 
family. 

6. What is the ultimate aim of the State? 

7. Define Church in its widest sense. 

8. What do you mean by the Church Militant? 

9. Do you approve of the complete separation of Church 
and State? 

10. Formulate two resolutions which each member of the 
Study Club can carry out between now and the next 
meeting which have a bearing on the extending of 
the Kingdom of God on earth. 



THE UNITY OF THE TRUE CHURCH 

CHRIST is both man and God. He claimed to be God, and 
He proved His claim by the fulfillment of prophecies, and 

by miracles, especially by the astounding miracle of rising from 
the dead by His own power. After the resurrection, Didymus 
(later called Thomas) doubted the word of those who said that 
they had seen the Lord. Then the Saviour came to the Apos-
tles when Didymus was present. The Master wanted to estab-
lish beyond all doubt that His risen Body was the same Body 
that had hung upon the Cross. How did He do it? By show-
ing the marks made by the nails and by the spear. Didymus 
the doubter became Thomas the faithful Apostle, and ex-
claimed, "My Lord and my God" (John xx. 28). 

The Catholic Church is the Mystical Body of Christ.1 How 
does it prove itself to be the one true Church? By showing 
certaih, unmistakable marks. The marks enumerated by the 
Council of Constantinople-(381) are: unity, holiness, catho-
licity, and apostolicity. 

A Study of Unities 

It is easy to discover unities. Even the lifeless rock is 
marked by an elementary yet tenacious unity of small particles. 
They are held so tightly together that it requires the sudden 
blow of a hammer or the slow influence of frost and rain to 
break the rock into the dust of which it is composed. Living 
organisms are strongly marked by unity. A tree is a living 
organism: leaves, branches, trunk and roots are all unified by 
a vegetative2 principle of life. Man, too, is a living organism. 
In him there is such a multiplicity of elements, all unified in one 
being, that the Greek philosophers called man a little world in 
himself a microcosm. This distinguished man from the big 

1 By Mystical Body of Christ is meant that the members of the Chufch are 
bound together and to Christ, their Head, into a real, spiritual Body by the 
supernatural life of grace received in Baptism. . . . 1 

2 By vegetative principle of life is meant the power in nature by which plants, 
vegetables, and trees grow. 

13 



14 THE TRUE CHURCH 

world, or the universe, which was known as the macrocosm. 
The unifying principle in man is his rational soul, a spiritual 
principle which enables him to think, and to act freely, thereby 
marking him off from all living organisms of an inferior order, 
sjich as birds and trees. There are, moreover, unities or fel-
lowships among men.,, The State is such a unity; so also is the 
Church. 

God the Basis of Unity 

On earth all things should be unified in God through the 
Church. This statement requires much explanation, especially 
if it is to be made clear to all the doubting Thomases of our 
day. Such a unity involves sublime mysteries. Still the Cath-
olic child accepts these profound unities which are involved in 
the unity of the true Church. When the small boy signs him-
self with the Sign of the Cross in the name of the Triune4 God, 
these supernatural unities are implied, whether he adverts to 
them or not. Consider for a moment the act of blessing one-
self. It is a profession of belief in the Unity and Trinity of 
God. In this Trinity, there is only one Godhead, and yet no 
one of the three Divine Persons loses identity. The Sign of the 
Cross bespeaks the doctrine of the Redemption which involves 
a divine unity, the Hypostatic5 Union of God and man in 
Christ. Reflect upon the unity of a human being who is pleas-
ing to God. Such a person is by grace what Christ is by na-
ture, a child of Mary, a child of the Eternal Father, a temple 
of the Holy Spirit, and united to the Triune God by the bond 
of Charity. • 

University President Seeks Unity 

The modern world has been ignoring these divine unities. 
Of late, however, it has been groping for a unified outlook 
upon human activity. We call to witness one who lays no 
claim to being a Catholic, Robert Maynard Hutchins, head of 

4 Triune is a title applied to God by reason of the fact that there is one God 
in three Divine Persons. The term emphasizes the unity of the Divine nature as 
the plurality of Persons is stressed by the term Trinity. 

5 Hypostasis means person, and the Hypostatic Union means the union of two 
distinct natures, namely, the nature of God, and the nature of man. in the one 
Person of Jesus Christ. 



THE UNITY OF THE TRUE CHURCH IS 

the University of Chicago. His mind is expressed in "The 
Higher Learning in America," published by the Yale Univer-
sity Press. He seeks a bird's-eye view of the universe of 
studies. Many specializations within medicine, law, and engi-
neering, confront him. When he looks for something which 
serves to unite these highly developed enterprises, he discovers, 
not unity, but chaos. To quote his words: 

"This is what the young man would see as he stood gazing across 
the threshold of higher learning. It may be briefly described as 
chaos." 8 

He continues: 
"How can these things be? Why is it that the chief character-

istic of the higher learning is disorder? It is because there is no 
ordering principle in it. . . . Real unity can be achieved only by 
a hierarchy of truths which shows us which are fundamental and 
which subsidiary, which significant and which not." 7 

Failing to find unity in the non-Catholic or non-universal uni-
versity, he raises the further question, "Did higher learning 
ever enjoy unity?" Study his answer: 

"The medieval university had a principle of unity. It was 
theology. The medieval theologians had worked out an elaborate 
statement in due proportion and emphasis of the truths relating 
to man and God, and man and nature. . . . God is the first truth 
and the last end. The medieval university was rationally ordered, 
and for its time, it was practically ordered, too." 8 

He is speaking of the form of learning which was fostered by 
the Church that bears the mark of unity: unity of doctrine, 
and unity of government. 

The next question is: "Do educators hope for the restora-
tion of unity in the modern university?" Hopelessness is im-
plied in this statement: . 

"Theology is banned by law from some universities. It might 
as well be from the rest. Theology is based on revealed truth and 
on articles of faith. We are a faithless generation and take no 
stojfjk in revelation." 9 

6 The Higher Learning in America, Hutchins, p. 94. 
7 Ibid., p. 95. 
8 Ibid.p p. 96. 
» Ibid., p . 97. 



16 THE TRUE CHURCH 

He concludes: 

" " ^ c a n n o t appeal to theology, we must turn to metaphysics." 
Without theology or metaphysics a unified university cannot exist 
Both are almost totally missing today."1 1 

This statement, dark as it may seem, is not altogether devoid 
of hope. If students in modern universities who are preoccupied 
with secondary causes will turn to metaphysics, they may come 
to the conclusion which eventually confronts the true meta-
physician, namely, that behind all secondary causes 12 is a First 
Cause, God. They will rediscover that learning should be uni-
fied in what is Ultimate, Absolute, and Supreme. Those who 
ar.?, S c

m CT e l y marching for a unified interpretation of reality 
will find it through the true Church. In this study we must 
not ignore the bond of unity, which unites man to man and 
man to God. This bond is charity. Humanitarianism is not 
enough. Thomas Aquinas, the great metaphysician and Saint 
says: ' 

"But man is not to be loved for his own sake, but whatever is 
m man is to be loved for God's sake." " 15 

Incarnate Love Speaks 

God is charity, and the Founder of the Church is Incarnate 
Love. His words are of the highest possible authority 
After instituting the Eucharist, the Divine Son burns into the 
minds of His disciples the supreme necessity of unity by ad-
dressing the Eternal Father: 

int^e^worid381 R ® ^ 1 a'S° have sent 
sanctified^in t m l ; ' K I g g t h a t H f a l s o 

• 

the philosophical 

3 5 u " i J t S p
e S S ^ 9 a l a ""b«™s substance a n d T u s e K U n d e r I y , n * such 

the cause S ^ S S S S s S | direct observa-

« r j j i l ^ the 3 In carnation. H M • W d M 



THE UNITY OF THE TRUE CHURCH IS 

"And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who 
through their word shall believe in me: 

"That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in 
thee: that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe 
that thou hast sent me. 

"And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to 
them: that they may be one, as we also are, one: 

"I in them, and thou in me: that they may be made perfect 
in one: and the world may know that thou hast sent me, and 
hast loved them, as thou hast also loved me." 1 5 

Four times Christ prays: "That they may be one." What 
divine intensity! An examination of the Catholic Church dis-
covers this mark of unity: 

I t is one in its Divine Founder, Christ.16 

It is one in its visible head, the Pope.17 

It is one in its final aim, salvation.18 

It is one in its doctrine, and in its means.19 

It is one in its hierarchical20 government.21 

To quote from a catechism: 

"The Church of Christ was, by the will of the Divine Founder, 
to be one in government, faith and unity of fellowship, whereby 
all its members make one social body, that is the mystical body of 
Christ, and this despite the diversity of rites." 22 

Catholics who belong to the Latin rite should always keep in 
mind that the true Church embraces several other rites whose 
discipline and language may be at variance with their own. 

Further Searchings for Unity 

Even those who hate the Church maintain that human be-
ings should be unified in something. The mistake is made in 
thinking that rational creatures can be unified in something 

15 John xvii. 18-23. 
16 Handbook of Christian Religion, Wilraers, S.J., p. 106. 
17 Matt. xvi. 18. 18 Mark xvi. 16. 19 Deharbe's Catechism, p. 140. 
20 Hierarchical government refers to the totality of sacred ministers in the 

Church, of various and distinct grades, in which the lower is subordinate and yields 
to the higher. . .. -

21 Faith of Our Fathers, p. 5. 
22 The. Catholic Catechism, Gasparri, p. 100. . j .uH 



18 THE TRUE CHURCH 

less than God. Any false means to the fulfillment of the ideal 
of unity moves towards one extreme or its opposite. There 
is the extreme of what may be called compulsion from the out-
side. This is a form of tyranny. It may express itself through 
a heartless, godless communism which finds its highest point 
of unity in economics, with the State regarded as supreme. 
The idea of compulsion as a means of fusion, rather than 
union, is also found in what is popularly termed the Totalita-
rian28 State, wherein the dictator proclaims the Civil Author-
ity to be superior to the Church. This phenomenon usually 
exalts race or nationality beyond bounds.24 The other extreme 
may be called a Bloodless Brotherhood, apparently a peaceful 
and smiling movement, but based upon religious indifference. 
All over the world little groups of social-minded people are 
forming.25 They take themselves seriously and aim at unify-
ing the human race in good fellowship, but without including 
God. In fact the members are forbidden to introduce any-
thing religious at the meetings.26 All these ventures, both large 
and small, are bound to fail, because they seek the center of 
unification, not in God, but in man. 

Personal Efforts Towards Unity 

Jacques Maritain, philosopher and convert, thinks that the 
greatest obstacle to the spread of the kingdom of God on earth 
is to put the blood of fallen human nature27 in place of the 
adorable Blood of Jesus Christ. Godless fusion or unification 
calls down the Blood of the Saviour upon its head. The 
Catholic who puts nationality, or color, or social or financial 
position ahead of the idea that the Church is for all to the ex-

23 A Totalitarian State is one in which the civil government is held to be so 
utterly supreme, that it should dominate every form of human activity. 

24 Pius XI warns the world against racism or exaggerated nationalism. 
25 "The One and Only Church," Pamphlet No. 61, Sunday Visitor Press 
26 The Framework ot a Christian State, Cahill, S.J., p. 238. 
In this volume, Rotary International, the Esperanto Association and the Friends 

of Israel are referred to as forms of "White Masonry" whose immediate objects 
may be good, but whose ultimate ideals foster secularism, indifference to religion 
and false internationalism. 

27 In one Totalitarian State the name of the Divine Child was removed from 
the Christmas hymn, Holy Night, and in its place was inserted the name of the 
nation. This is a clear example of an attempt to introduce the adoration of fallen 
human nature as expressed in the State. 



THE UNITY OF THE TRUE CHURCH IS 

elusion of none, works against the notion of one fold and one 
Shepherd. The faithful should always seek a share in the 
apostolic work of unifying the world in God. In what way? 
First of all by developing a closer personal union with God 
through grace. Members of a Club studying the marks of the 
Church are apostles of unity when they strive for further sanc-
tification through prayer, self-denial and the fruitful use of the 
Sacraments. 

"I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk 
worthy of the vocation in which you are called. . . . 

"Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 
"One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of 

your calling. 
"One Lord, one faith, one baptism. 

"One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, 
and in us all." 2 8 

Questions 

1. Tell the story of Didymus the doubter. 

2. What are the marks of the Church? By what Council 
proclaimed? 

3. What is requisite for unity in a tree? In a man? 
4. Enumerate three divine unities. 
5. In what should a university curriculum be unified? 

6. Can you give the main ideas of Christ's prayer tor 
unity? 

7. Explain the unity of the true Church. 
8. Is there a search for unity going on in the chaotic, 

modern world? 
9. What is your personal duty in the present struggle 

for unity? 
10. Give two lessons to be drawn from the appeal for 

unity written by St. Paul to the Ephesians (iv. 1-6). 

28 St. Paul to Ephesians, iv. 1, 3-6. 



THE HOLINESS OF THE CHURCH 

The Person of Greatest Worth 

OUPPOSE you were to say to a modern high school student, 
^ "Who, in your estimation, is the person of greatest worth 
in any community?" The answer of one may be, "I would say 
the statesman whose political prowess can lead us out of our 
social confusion." Another may answer, "I choose the great 
artist whose creative genius can produce a masterpiece in 
marble, or color, or words, that will tend to ennoble the race." 
A third may calmly say, "I consider the physical scientist to 
be the person of greatest worth, especially the one whose un-
tiring research gives rise to an antitoxin that can stamp out 
epidemics which have cost the lives of millions." 

Are any of these answers satisfactory to you? Perhaps 
you would like to formulate an answer of your own. Suppose 
you pause for a moment and do so, before reading further. 
Now that you have made up your mind, we shall consult one 
who is not to be charged with special pleading in our field of 
discussion. Dr. Alexis Carrel is an investigator of the Rocke-
feller Institute of Medical Research, and a winner of the 
Nobel Prize. He has written a book entitled, Man the Un-
known. The drift of the volume is in line with the educa-
tional observations of the President of Chicago University as 
set forth in The Higher Learning in America. He writes that 
for years man has been the special object of scientific study. 
Many specializations have developed. But when the simple 
question is asked, "What is man?" the answer given is often 
either incorrect or incomplete. Then he implies that when the 
true nature of man has been learned, and the query arises, 
"Who is the man of greatest worth?" the right answer will be 
that the person of greatest worth is not the statesman, as such, 
nor the artist, nor the scientist, but the one who has developed 
the highest degree of moral beauty, the Saint. He does not 

20 



THE HOLINESS OF THE CHURCH 21 

hesitate to say that the Catholic Church recognizes this im-
portant fact.1 We are not endorsing all the contents of the 
book nor is this testimony introduced because an empirical 
scientist is conceived as being habitually adept in passing judg-
ment on ethical matters. It is done rather to reveal that the 
skepticism and unbelief which some students think must neces-
sarily accompany the scientific attitude, is giving way to the 
recognition of an order that is higher than the order of na-
ture, namely, the supernatural.2 

Holiness the Aim of the Church 

If it is conceded that the Saint is the person of greatest 
worth, the loftiest desire of all human beings should be to de-
velop holiness. True holiness is not incompatible with lowly 
occupations. Christ Himself was a carpenter. As a matter of 
fact, sanctity is the one vocation to which all are called. "This 
is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thess. iv. 3). The 
aim of the true Church is man's sanctification here, in order 
that he may attain eternal joy hereafter. Without demanding 
that everybody should retire into a monastery, the Church 
provides the means of becoming holy. There should be no 
hesitancy in entrusting oneself to the Church whose work is of 
divine appointment. I t is an exceeding privilege to become a 
member of the mystical body of Christ, the Church. 

The Nature of Personal Holiness 

Since holiness is the one common proficiency to which all 
are called, another question arises, "What is holiness?" Sanc-
tity is a synonym for holiness. It is interesting to note that 
the word, holy, is given the same sound as the word, wholly. 
To be holy is to be wholesome., and to be wholesome in a re-
ligious sense man should be united to something else. To 
what? To the very source and center of sanctity—God. The 

1 Man the Unknown, Carrel, p. 129. 
2 Professor Compton, another Noble Prize winner, in his book. The Freedom 

of Man, argues for the existence of moral responsibility to a Supreme Power. 



22 THE TRUE CHURCH 

Triune God, being infinitely perfect, is infinitely holy. When 
a person in this world is united to God by sanctifying grace, 
that person shares in the very life of God, and deserves to be 
called holy. When serious sin cuts this bond between the 
creature and the Creator, the unity or wholesomeness is de-
stroyed, and the soul is said to be spiritually dead. By being 
holy the natural life of man is not destroyed but elevated and 
ennobled. The power of personal choice enters into this dis-
cussion. Think of how you can use your free will: you can 
give it wholly to God, and that leads to the heights of holi-
ness (the proficiency of the Saints); or you can yield it to 
God, but not wholly (which is the road to spiritual medi-
ocrity) ; or you can reject God altogether by serious sin, which 
produces unholiness. If you die without sanctifying grace you 
are lost forever.3 

The Church Is Holy 

We should spend our greatest energies to acquire not fame 
or riches, but holiness. It does not matter who says this. It 
is true. Scientists, artists, statesmen, as well as obscure toil-
ers, all should understand that they are called to holiness. Holi-
ness is a matter of universal importance and the all-holy God, 
before whom the Angels sing, "Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus," pro-
vides a normal means to develop holiness. This means is the 
true Church. The true Church can be known because it bears 
the mark of holiness. The Catechism says that the Church is 
holy in its Founder, Christ; in its unblemished teaching; in its 
life-giving Sacraments; in its worship (especially in the most 
holy Sacrifice of the Mass); and in many of its members.4 

It has already been pointed out that man to be holy must 
be joined in some way to God, the source of holiness. The 
aim of the Church is to bring about this union of creature 
with the Creator. "Christ loved the Church and delivered 
Himself up for it that He might sanctify it" (Eph. v. 25, 26). 

8 A Mat o! Life, F. J . Ward, p. 67, Sheed & Ward. 
4 The Catechism Explained, Spirago-Clarke, p. 243. 



THE HOLINESS OF THE CHURCH 23 

Twofold Function of Redemption 
An elementary study of Christian doctrine and practice 

will make clear that the redemptive function of the Church is 
twofold: 

1. The Church brings God to man by the Sacraments. 
2. The Church brings man to God by teaching and 

preaching. 

Consider the first function, the Church bringing God to man 
by the sacramental system. Interesting studies can be de-
veloped in this area alone. What a mysterious union is af-
fected when the Triune God comes to dwell in a human being 
through Baptism, the gateway to the Church! Chesterton, 
who was constantly crusading in the cause of the holy Church 
which he had entered by conversion, thoughtfully told Bernard 
Shaw who was hoping for a life span of 250 years on earth, 
that when the water of Baptism is poured on the head of an 
infant, the little child becomes 2,000 years old! How inspir-
ing to contemplate a child in our own day being adopted into 
the Holy Family, and becoming by grace entitled to call Mary, 
Mother! Or, to introduce another implication, we may say 
that when an old man is baptized he becomes a child of God. 
Our Saviour tells us that we cannot get into heaven unless 
we become like unspoiled children. Unspoiled children are 
wholesome. Moreover, contemplate God being brought to 
man in the sacrament of Love, the Eucharist! The mark of 
holiness shines also in the sacrament of Penance, whereby the 
life of God is restored to a person dead in sin, or made more 
abundant if the penitent is already enjoying the friendship of 
the Almighty. Consider also, the process of redemption as it 
sanctifies society through the sacraments of Marriage and Holy 
Orders. 

Not only does the Church bring God to man through the 
Sacraments, but it brings man to God by teaching and preach-
ing.5 The appealing eloquence of St. Francis de Sales is said 
to have been the occasion of such torrents of grace that 70,000 

5 The Spirit ol Catholicism, Karl Adam. p. 193. 



24 THE TRUE CHURCH 

Calvinists entered the Church that is marked by holiness. 
Good books, and intelligent conversation, and good example, 
all these prompt human beings to think, to pray, and eventu-
ally to go to God. One old newspaper, containing a sermon 
on the true Church, worked its way to Newton Grove, North 
Carolina, and is calculated to have led to the conversion of 
1,000 people in a village where there had not been one Cath-
olic. Even this small pamphlet may be put into the hands 
of an earnest inquirer and serve to lead the reader to God. 
Surely you will not confine your study of the true Church to 
the mere examination of Christian Doctrine. A zealous stu-
dent will study ways and means for making the Apostolic spirit 
bear upon those who are searching for the right road to salva-
tion. (It might be entertaining for a mathematician to work 
out an answer to this question: If 100,000 Catholics in the 
United States were to make one convert each during the year, 
and then they and each of their converts were to repeat the 
process, how many years would have to roll over our heads be-
fore all the people in the country belong to the Church that 
enjoys the mark of holiness?) 

Unholiness Among Catholics 

We must be frank in granting that there would be more 
conversions if there were less unholiness among Catholics. 
Bad Catholics in high positions are a special source of disedi-
fication. The person who refuses to enter the Church because 
he can point to unworthy members of the Church refuses to 
make a distinction between the holiness of the doctrine and 
unholiness of the one who professes but violates the doctrine. 
An unbeliever may be a sober man, and a Catholic may be a 
drunkard. What are we to say? Simply this: the unbeliever 
is better than his principles, and the Catholic is worse than 
his. Our Lord said, "It must be that scandals come, but woe 
to him by whom scandal cometh" (Matt, xviii. 7). Scandals 
in the Church are part of the general problem of evil. Human 
nature is not to be trusted because it is in a fallen condi-
tion. Our enemies are: the flesh, the devil, and the world (so-



THE HOLINESS OF THE CHURCH 25 

ciety organized apart from God). We must be always on 
guard. "He that trusteth himself to stand, let him take heed 
lest he fall" (1 Cor. x. 12). In trying to develop holiness 
the ideal is not a mere abstraction, but Christ, true God and 
true man, who gives us the example that we may follow in His 
steps. 

The Patron Saint of Men Doomed to Die 

It is a mistake to think that the sole labor of the holy 
Catholic Church is to hold the faith in the faithful, and to 
guard the virtue of the virtuous. That protective influence 
is commendable, but Christ came to call, not the just, but 
sinners to repentance, and the Church must carry on His 
work. Murder is a shocking crime; still it is consoling to 
hear that among those condemned to die in Sing Sing, nearly 
25 per cent of the non-Catholics enter the Church before they 
enter the death chamber.8 The only Saint who was canonized 
before he died was a thief who hung upon a cross. He looked 
to the all-holy Saviour and prayed, "Master, remember me 
when Thou shalt come into Thy kingdom." The Sacred Heart 
of Christ was moved. How distinctly we remember the words 
of pardon: "Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with 
me in paradise" (Luke xxiii. 43). May there be no irrever-
ence in our saying that the repentant thief seemed to steal his 
way into heaven by one little act of perfect contrition.7 Dis-
mas (the good thief) is the patron Saint of those condemned to 
die. Are we not all doomed to die by virtue of being children 
of Adam? St. Dismas, pray for us, that we may be holy, that 
we may do something to extend the holy kingdom of God, and 
at length that through your prayers and the intercession of St. 
Joseph, we may enjoy the grace of a happy death. 

6 Spurs to Conversion, Betowski, p. 2. 
7 Members of a Discussion Club who wish to be doers of the word and not 

hearers only can foster holiness by prompting those who are ill to make acts of 
perfect contrition. Study the effect of one such act even upon a person who has 
never been baptized by water. Become interested in a means of assisting well-
meaning non-Catholics to die a happy death. Particulars may be obtained by 
writing to the "Apostolate to Assist the Dying," Compton Road. Hartwell, Cin-
cinnati, Ohio. 



26 THE TRUE CHURCH 

Questions 

1. Defend your choice of the person of greatest worth. 

2. What are the proximate and ultimate aims of the 
Church? 

3. Is there a common vocation for people in all walks 
in life? Quote Sacred Scripture. 

4. Explain the use which man may make of his will. 

5. In what does personal holiness consist? 

6. Why is the true Church called holy? 

7. State, with examples, the twofold redemptive func-
tion of the Church in developing holiness. 

8. Why does a person who is in the state of grace de-
serve to be regarded as a member of the Holy Family? 

9. Discuss the sanctifying influence of Baptism, and the 
Eucharist. 

10. Can a person be saved without Baptism of water? 

11. What specific recommendation do you think Christ 
would make for fostering personal holiness? 

12. What suggestion can be carried out by all Catholics 
for fostering the entrance of others into the Church? 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE CHURCH 

A Curious Compliment 

A CERTAIN priest conducted a public Novena at the Con-vent of Mary Reparatrix in Detroit. His sermons were 
developed under the general heading, "Philosophy of Suffer-
ing." At the close of the devotions a person came forward and 
said, " 0 Father, I am so sorry that it is all over. Your ser-
mons should go on and on." The priest smiled, thinking that 
his preaching had influenced at least one soul in the congrega-
tion. Precisely so, but not in the manner surmised, as dis-
closed in this explanation, "You know, Father, I have been 
suffering from insomnia, and for weeks could get no rest. It 
was such a relief to sleep during your sermons!" Seldom are 
compliments so free from human respect. 

Unfortunately there are millions in the modern world who 
look upon preaching as a sleep-inducer in no benign sense. 
Since they hate religion, they would do away with preaching 
once and for all. Lenin of Russia, following Marx, said, "Re-
ligion is opium for the people. Our propaganda necessarily 
includes the propaganda of atheism." (By saying that re-
ligion is "opium for the people" the accusation implies that 
any doctrine of charity or resignation makes the worker numb, 
or at least reconciled, to the social injustices which are crush-
ing him. The Encyclicals of Leo XIII and Pius XI on social 
questions clearly reveal that charity and the spirit of penance 
are not discordant with an insistence upon the promotion of 
justice in political and industrial life.) 

A swift survey of Communism shows that in rejecting all 
religion that points to heaven, it aims to substitute what may 
be called a religion that points to earth. In this new world 
view wherein economics is taken to determine all things, Marx 
is honored as the inspired writer, Lenin, as the prophet and 
savior, and the Soviet State as the supreme and holy society. 
If you visit the tomb of Lenin in Moscow, you will observe 
on the part of his followers a reverence that is akin to religious 
awe. 

Do not be shocked if someone who knows all this should 
ask, "Has the Catholic Church anything in common with Com-

27 



28 THE TRUE CHURCH 

munism?" Certainly nothing in common with the contention 
that all reality begins and ends with time. Nothing in com-
mon with the gospel of hate which leads to the burning of 
churches, the murdering of priests and Sisters, and the starva-
tion of millions of peasants! Perhaps the question may be 
more clearly presented by asking, "Is there anything for which 
the Communists are searching that can be found in the true 
Church?" Long ago Tertullian said that the human heart is 
naturally Christian. It will not do to maintain that the hearts 
of Communists are naturally inhuman. It is heresy to con-
tend that human nature is corrupt to the core. Since the 
time of Martin Luther an ever-increasing number of people 
have tried to think as they please, and to do as they please, 
living on the assumption that religion rests only on private 
opinion. They are now the victims of innumerable conflicts, 
and are crushed beneath the weight of dissatisfactions which 
involve industry, political endeavor, and education. Is it not 
natural that they should search for something that will bind 
together a world that is falling apart, something that will tran-
scend the narrow boundaries of states and principalities? 
Groping for what is beyond and above national barriers, they 
may be easily captivated by the title: "The Third Interna-
tionale of Moscow." (They may even center their hopes in 
"Rotary International" as a means of inaugurating a world-
wide fellowship.) We now come to a pertinent question, 
"When the human heart throbs with a desire for something 
that is international or supranational, is not that an implied 
searching for what is to be found in the true Church, namely 
Catholicity, or universality?" And if there is in the heart of 
man an impulse to obtain what is enduringly good, a long-
ing for complete happiness, is it not the duty of those who be-
long to the Church which is the normal means to so happy an 
end, to respond to the command of Christ saying, "Going 
therefore, teach ye all nations"? Of course the mandate con-
cerned the Apostles directly, but the Holy Father has fre-
quently insisted that the laity should seek an active and obedi-
ent share in the work of the apostolate. In brief, it is our 
duty, not to denounce Communists, but to convert them. The 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE CHURCH 29 

first law of the Church founded by Christ is the law of love. 
Hate error, but love the erring. Denounce sin, but direct char-
ity towards the sinner. Charity aims to reach around the 
world. The Church on earth is the mystical body of Incarnate 
Charity. 

The Nature of Catholicity 

Unfortunately, many look upon the Catholic Church as a 
sect, as merely one of the several denominations. Catholic 
schools in this country have come to be known as parochial 
schools, and public schools are called non-sectarian. If the 
word "Catholic" (derived from a Greek term) means "uni-
versal," and if what is universal cannot be sectarian, then in a 
wholesome sense it is the Catholic school that is truly non-
sectarian. The Catholic Church is for all, to the exclusion of 
none, not on the compromising terms of fallible men, but ac-
cording to the principles of the infallible Divine Teacher who 
is the author and finisher of our faith. "Go ye into the whole 
world, and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark xvi. 
IS). • ; 

Consider the varying aspects of Catholicity. The true 
Church is catholic in point of time: it was catholic or univer-
sal from the beginning. On Pentecost, the birthday of the 
Church, St. Peter preached and "they therefore that received 
His word were baptized; and there were added that day about 
three thousand" (Acts ii. 41). Among those to receive the 
waters of regeneration were "Parthians, and Medes, and Elam-
ites, and inhabitants, of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappado-
cia, Pontus and Asia" (Acts ii. 9) and other countries from 
afar. Is not universality visible at once? 

The Church is also catholic in regard to doctrine. The 
Apostles were fully aware that when the Saviour sent them 
forth to baptize all nations, He added "teaching them to ob-
serve all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matt, 
xxviii. 20). 

In the light of what has already been shown, it should be 
clear that the Church is catholic in regard to all mankind. 
After the Apostles heard the words, "Going therefore, teach ye 



30 THE TRUE CHURCH 

all nations," they actually went into lands afar. Otherwise 
St. Paul would not have written, "Yes, verily, their sound 
hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the 
ends of the whole world" (Romans x. 18). This implies a 
universality of place. If you have traveled around the world 
you no doubt are happy to tell that you heard Mass in every 
strange land which you visited. You saw with your own eyes 
the fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachias writing, "For 
from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name 
is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacri-
fice, and there is offered in my name a clean oblation: for my 
name is great among the Gentiles, said the Lord of hosts" 
(Mai. i. 10, 11). Mary Magdalen was told of the universality 
of the Church when the Master said that wherever the Gospel 
is preached in the whole world, her name would be spoken 
(Matt. xxvi. 13). All through this valley of tears where sin 
is so frequently found, the Church is also to be found, ¿here-
by giving witness to the mercy of Jesus. "You shall be wit-
nesses unto me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, 
and even to the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts i. 8). 

Explanation of Rites 
Catholicity presupposes unity. It may be said to include 

it. But unity is not disturbed by accidental differences. 
Catholics who are accustomed to attend the Latin Mass are 
occasionally confused when they hear of other languages be-
ing used, and other ceremonies employed at the Holy Sacrifice. 
This prompts us to pause for a brief survey of rites. The word 
"rite" may have several meanings: 

1. Any religious function, as the rite of Baptism. 
2. A group of several functions (e.g., the "last rites" 

reference being to the Sacraments of Penance, Viaticum, 
and Extreme Unction). 

3. A collection of services used in public worship, or a 
group of Churches, e. g., the Roman Rite. 

The different prayers, actions, languages and customs used 
in the amplification of fundamentals distinguish the rites, in 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE CHURCH 31 

this last sense. Nine rites are recognized by the Catholic 
Church: 

1. The Latin (including variants), 
2. The Chaldean, 
3. The Byzantine, 
4. The Abyssinian, 
5. The Armenian, 
6. The Coptic, 
7. The Malabar, 
8. The Maronite, 
9. The Syrian. 

It is to be noted that all these with the exception of the 
Latin and the Maronite are used also by Christians who are 
no longer Catholics. In addition to what has been outlined, 
some religious communities have what are called their own 
rites, e. g., the Benedictines, Carmelites, Cistercians, Domini-
cans, and others. (You may have observed the divergence of 
rubrics when Mass is said by a Dominican Father. The 
point to keep clearly in mind is this: provided there is unity 
of faith, diversity of rite does not disturb Catholicity.) 

The Roman Catholic Church 

A difficulty is sometimes made to circle around the expres-
sion, "Roman Catholic." It is feared that the word "Roman" 
restricts in some way the idea of universality. The term "Ro-
man" simply refers to the center of authority. It is like the 
difference between the center of a circle and the circumfer-
ence. The city of Rome, where the Holy Father lives, is the 
center of the Church, and the universality, the Catholicity, is 
the circumference of the Church. 

The Branch Theory 

Some High Church Anglicans, who wish to be called Cath-
olics, have advanced the Branch Theory. It maintains that 
the full scope of the word "Catholic" includes three great 



32 THE TRUE CHURCH 

groups: Anglicans, Greeks and Romans. These combined are 
said to constitute the Catholic Church in its full sense. As al-
ready intimated, this would be an incorrect conception of 
Catholicity because the Church, to be truly Catholic, must be 
marked by unity. There is no room for real unity in the 
Branch Theory inasmuch as heresy is harbored in the Angli-
can denomination, and at least schism is to be found among the 
so-called Orthodox Greeks who refuse to look to the Pope as the 
head of the Church. Moreover, if the argument were valid, 
then a controversialist could propose a Church that would in-
clude even more members than the Branch Theory. He could 
say: "One religion is as good as another, and hence the 
Church which is truly Catholic includes Christian Scientist 
Quaker, Jew, Gentile, Moslem and all. This provides for a 
wider range of Catholicity than is introduced by the Branch 
Theory." Such hypotheses, because of ignoring a truly unify-
ing principle, tend to rob truth of its dignity. 

The Search for Catholicity 
It is well to admit that the modern world is groping for 

something that will be satisfactory to all, and it may be main-
tained that the mere tendency in itself is wholesome and en-
couraging. But the ideals presented fill us with fear, lest we 
fail to vindicate the true Church as the only supranational 
society which can serve the purpose. Radio, the motion pic-
tures, and the modern press—all tend to secularize society 
and to crush out religion from modern life, not necessarily' 
but because of the weight of public expression which has been' 
largely circumscribed by time and space. Modern man really 
needs something Catholic, but his philosophy of life, his world 
view, has been vitiated. In this country we observe the 
bourgeois idealism of the Rotarians and similar groups who are 
convinced that they have a formula for catholicizing and uni-
fying the divergent elements of mankind; in Germany there 
flourishes the racial ,idealism of the Nazis; and in Russia the 
proletarian idealism of the Communists animates an experi-
ment on a large and violent scale. Each form aims to control 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE CHURCH 33 

the whole of life. The race to universalize and to unify is 
on.1 The world (society organized apart from God) would 
turn the term "Catholic" towards the universal worship of 
humanity; but the Church (society organized in God) is al-
ready truly Catholic, even though millions plan its utter de-
struction. The intense light of a strong Catholicity glowing 
in the creed and conduct of the courageous Catholic serves to 
illuminate the city that is seated on a mountain. As for fear 
—"the gates of hell shall not prevail" (Matt. xvi. 18). 

Questions 

1. Discuss Lenin's charge that religion is "opium for 
the people." 

2. Has the Catholic Church made certain observations 
which are in common with observations of Com-
munism ? 

3. When a social movement takes itself so seriously that 
it aims to be a world-movement, what mark of the 
Church does it try to appropriate to itself? 

4. If our Lord were in direct charge of a Catholic 
school, do you think that He would allow only Cath-
olic students to register? 

5. When a Catholic college excludes colored students 
solely because of color, does that college clearly ex-
emplify the Catholicity of the Church? 

6. Explain the meaning of the word "rite." 
7. Why do not divergencies of rite mar the unity, and 

hence the Catholicity of the Church? 
8. Would not the Church be more universal if it were 

just "catholic" instead of "Roman Catholic"? 
9. Name one book which serves to show the position of 

religion in the modern world? 
10. In what way does a crowded Communion rail reveal 

the Catholicity of the true Church? 

i a, Religion md the Uoiern State. Dawson, Sheed & Ward. 



THE TRUE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC 

The News of a Newsstand 

THE modern newsstand refutes the old saying that one side of the world doesn't know what is happening on the other 
side. Through the mysterious use of wires, and through the 
more mysterious use of wireless, the joys and anxieties of the 
human race are almost instantaneously reported in the news-
paper. Some are tempted to surmise that the newspapers 
are so wonderful that they present the news before it happens. 
(If you are near the source of distribution you can buy the 
Sunday newspaper on Saturday night!) The scorn which 
moderns have for a newspaper that is one day old indicates 
how little they wish to recall the scandals, the political 
changes, the catastrophes, and obituaries hastily scanned a 
few hours ago. There are so many facts constantly bombard-
ing their minds that they scarcely have time to think by way 
of reflection. They let other people do their thinking for 
them. The worried business man confesses that he reads the 
newspaper to keep himself from thinking. 

This is not altogether an. attack upon the newsstand, but 
rather a stand taken in defense of news in the sense that it 
may start reflection in a thoughtful person. Reflection is often 
consequent upon discovery. All discoveries constitute news, 
sometimes very good news. Bear with the supposition about 
to be developed. We suppose that a professor, marked for 
a Soviet purge, has escaped from Russia, and is walking 
through Times Square. Coming to a newsstand he buys a 
copy, not of a newspaper, but of an Almanac.1 By chance he 
turns to a page whereon is reprinted the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. He learns that in 1776 the United States of 
America came into being dedicated to "life, liberty, and the 
pursuit of happiness," and that George Washington was the 

l Cf. Turning to God, Betowski, p. 178. 

34 



THE TRUE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC 35 

first President. In his reflection he asks, "Does the nation 
founded then exist now?" Turning to another page he comes 
upon a list entitled, "Presidents of the United States." The 
name, Roosevelt, at the end of the list, goes in unbroken line 
to Washington at the beginning. Accepting the data as au-
thentic, his question is answered, and he concludes that the 
United States of America today is the United States of 1776. 
To exemplify fruitful reflection, we think of the thoughtful 
professor deciding to take out citizenship papers in order that 
America may become his land by adoption. 

This is not fanciful in the sense of being fantastic. No 
step is outside the circle,of possibility. To continue, we now 
imagine the professor reflecting upon this question, "If the 
well-ordered State promotes temporal well-being, is there not 
a society which promotes what is enduringly good?" He 
grants that at the time of Christ there was such a society, 
called the Church. Moreover, he knows that the Catholic 
Church of today claims to be identical with the Church 
founded by Christ, asserting that Pius XI is the successor of 
St. Peter. Preoccupied with test-tubes and microscopes, he 
never took time to investigate the claim. Now life has become 
his laboratory, and the evidence under consideration is biologi-
cal by way of being historical. He knows that his study can 
be objective. The Almanac is merely a compilation of cold 
facts and statistics, and was not printed to plead the cause 
of any religion. But he knows that valid conclusions can be 
drawn from reliable information. He consults the alphabeti-
cal index for the word, "Popes," and turns to the appointed 
page. There he finds a list of over 260 names, ending with 
Pius XI and going back and back until it comes to the first 
name, Peter, to whom, he recalled, Christ said, "Thou art 
Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the 
gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. xvi. 18). His 
conclusion is simple, and necessary: the Catholic Church of 
today is Apostolic, since it is identical with the Church 
founded by Christ upon the Apostles with Peter as the head. 
Conversion and further reading reveal that this Apostolic 
Church is dedicated to .the spiritual life, and to the liberty 



36 THE TRUE CHURCH 

which arises from the spirit of the Lord, and to the pursuit 
of eternal happiness. To such a charter, he is convinced, 
every reasonable man should subscribe. We conceive of thé 
professor praying. Grace comes, and we picture him entering 
the Apostolic Church through Baptism, thereby becoming a 
fellow citizen with the Saints. 

Points for the Study of Newman 

Perhaps you are annoyed by the introduction of a fictitious 
character. Would it not be better to choose a great histori-
cal figure, such as Newman? Well,- if you are not acquainted 
with him already, you can sharpen the spirit of study by con-
sulting the Catholic Encyclopedia. You can vitalize the news-
stand story by studying the article printed under his name. 
As you read, allow your reflections to be guided by these ob-
servations: 

1. Newman became dissatisfied with his religious position as an 
Anglican minister. 

2. He read Sacred Scripture devoutly, and studied the history 
of the Christian religion, especially as expressed in the writings 
of the Fathers. 

3. He became convinced of the necessity of dogma, and an 
Apostolic Church which can make dogma trustworthy. 

4. He prayed. (Read the inspiring hymn which he composed 
beginning with the words, "Lead, kindly light, amid encircling 
gloom.") & 

5. He lived in seclusion at Littlemore, and Father Dominic a 
Passionist, received him into the Catholic Church in 184S. ' 

6. Then there were forty fruitful years in the priesthood to 
which he was ordained in 1846, culminating in his elevation to 
the Cardmalate by Leo XIII . 

7 Through his writings, and under the influence of the Ox-
ford Movement, many have entered the Apostolic Church His 
ideas may be found in a splendid array of books which have 
earned for him a position among the great masters of style. (Read 
at least passages from his "Idea of a University," or from the 
Apologia." His heart throbbing with such impulses as Dante 

enjoyed, may be found in his poetic masterpiece, "The Dream of 
Gerontius. ) 



THE TRUE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC 37 

The Nature of Apostolicity 
The mark of Apostolicity is not only a sure mark of the 

true Church, but a mark that is most easily examined. It 
simply refers to that Apostolic succession by which the Cath-
olic Church of today is one with the Church of the Apostles. 
With the consistency of the imaginary professor, and with the 
prayerful patience of the historical example of Newman, all 
who seek rest in a restless world are invited to examine the 
Catholic Church. 

1. In origin the true Church is Apostolic, because it goes 
back to Christ, who chose the Apostles, and clearly stated 
that He was founding a Church with Peter as its first head. 
His words, as already quoted, are unmistakable, "Thou art 
Peter and upon this rock I will build my church, and the 
gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Not only was it 
made Apostolic, but it will continue Apostolic to the end of 
time. It must be in existence today. Apostolicity of origin 
is one of the ways of recognizing it. 

2. In doctrine the true Church is Apostolic. All over the 
world Catholics express their Apostolic belief by reciting the 
Apostles' Creed. History reveals that all attempts to break 
this Apostolic continuity by heresy, or by schism, or by vio-
lent persecution, have been unsuccessful.2 The unfailing 
teaching authority of Peter and his successors have kept the 
links in the doctrinal chain intact. 

3. In its mission the true Church is Apostolic. Christ 
said, "As the Father hath sent me, I also send you" (John 
xx. 21). In other words, the Church goes back to the Apos-
tles in doctrine and in foundation, and its going back (as well 
as its going forward) is authorized, divinely sanctioned, and 
valid. This Apostolic chain simply cannot be broken. We 
must not question the prophetic voice of the Saviour saying, 
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have com-
manded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the 
consummation of the world" (Matt, xxviii. 20). 

2 Synopsis Theoloaiae Dogmaticae Fundamentalis, Tanquerey, Vol. I, p. 506. 



38 THE TRUE CHURCH 

Old Yet Ever Youthful 

Returning to the newsstand, it is good to note that the 
very word "Gospel" means "good news." What news could 
be better than to let the descendants of Adam know that 
God became man, and founded a Church which is the normal 
means to salvation? The advance news of the birth of the 
Saviour was published by Angels singing over the hills of Ju-
dea. Even when a thing is very old its discovery deserves to 
be called news. Radium was one of the elements of nature 
all along. Its discovery was scientific news. The Church was 
already old when Newman came upon the good news that it 
is the true Church. Truth may be old, but it is marked by 
undying youth. The rules of grammar have respect for the 
youthful vitality of truth. One rule, regulating the tense of 
a verb, reads: "Statements permanently true should be put in 
the present tense." The Apostolicity of the Church is perma-
nently true. The Catholic Church is Apostolic. It is per-
manently true that, under one aspect, good Catholics may be 
said to be 2,000 years old because by grace and adoption, 
they are members of the Holy Family. And, in another 
sense, they retain their youth, because they are children of 
God. 

The Voice of Sacred Scripture 

Sacred Scripture abounds in words of encouragement. We 
are urged to cling to the chain which binds us to Apostolic 
faith and practice even though it may cost our lives. "Hold 
the form of such words which thou hast heard from me in 
faith and in love which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. i. 13). 
We must not waver. "But though we, or an angel from 
heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have 
preached to you, let him be anathema" (Gal. i. 8). Fur-
thermore, St. Paul wants the undistorted good news to ring 
around the world. "And the things which thou hast heard 
from me by many witnesses, the same commend to the faithful 
men, who shall be fit to teach others also" (2 Tim. ii. 2). 



THE TRUE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC 39 

The Fathers on Apostolicity 

The good news of the Apostolic character of the Church 
was republished by the Fathers. Listen to St. Irenaeus: 
"Wherefore we must obey the priests of the Church, who have 
succession from the Apostles." Study the words of St. Clem-
ent: "Christ was sent by God, and the Apostles by Christ." 
Accept the warning against breaking the Apostolic chain ut-
tered by St. Cyprian: "Novatianus is not in the Church, nor 
can he be considered a bishop, because in contempt of Apos-
tolic tradition he was ordained by himself without succeeding 
anyone." All sects that reject the Episcopate, by that very 
fact, cut themselves off from Apostolic succession. Anglican 
Orders are invalid, but even if they were valid the Anglican 
Church would not be Apostolic in a full sense because juris-
diction is essential to Apostolicity of mission and ministry. 

Getting the Good News Into the Newspapers 
While the mark of Apostolicity is an external sign, we 

feel impelled to introduce some reference to the invisible 
Apostolic spirit which ought to enliven the life of a true Cath-
olic. Return to the newsstand. A secular newspaper aims to 
gather all the news, even religious news, and for that reason 
prints a religious column on Monday to set forth the sub-
stance of the sermons delivered on Sunday. If you read these 
accounts you will see that the reporter reports mainly what 
he calls matters of news value. The sermon has special news 
value if the speaker has denounced somebody in person. But, 
strange to say (or perhaps not strange) the good news of Sa-
cred Scripture is almost invariably ignored. For example, if 
the preacher says that Christ appeared in a dream to a psy-
chiatrist in Washington, that would be called news, but if he 
were to set forth Christian doctrine to the effect that Christ 
is really present in every city where the Blessed Sacrament 
is reserved, that would be omitted on the score that it is not 
news. And yet millions of people who read the daily papers 
have yet to know the good news of the Real Presence. 

The question arises, "How are we going to get the good 



40 THE TRUE CHURCH 

news into the newspapers?" It has been maintained that when 
Catholic life becomes sufficiently full and Apostolic it will 
flow over into the regular news items of the newspaper. An 
example: There lived in the Grand Hotel in New York a Cath-
olic servant. She was there for nearly half a century. Her 
memory went back to the time when Henry Ford occupied 
an inexpensive room, because he did not have many dollars 
to his name. What was her proficiency? Simply to do her 
work well and graciously, and (this we must not omit) to go 
every day to Mass and to receive Holy Communion at the 
Church of St. Francis of Assisi. One morning she did not 
appear. She had died during the night. So struck were the 
reporters by her life of faith and faithfulness that a large ac-
count of her seemingly unaccountable career appeared on the 
front page of the metropolitan newspapers. The reporters 
were not trying to be pious in their expressions. Their stories 
were excellent examples of effortless and therefore, artistic 
writing. They had caught a glimpse of real news value as it 
glowed in the remarkable regularity of a life that responded 
humbly to a doctrine and an inspiration that reached back to 
Christ and the Apostles. The conclusion: we Catholics must 
strive to be Apostolic in conduct as well as in creed. 

Questions 

1. Make clear the meaning of "Gospel." 

2. Evaluate the modern secular newspaper. 

3. What is meant by the Apostolicity of the Church? 

4. Using an almanac, show how you would prove to a 
non-Catholic that the Church is Apostolic. 

5. Trace some of the transitions to be observed in the 
conversion of Newman. 



THE TRUE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC 41 

6. How would you answer an adversary who maintains 
that only that is true which is new, and who thinks 
that the Church is useless because it is old? 3 

7. State the position of St. Paul in relation to the per-

manence of Apostolic doctrine. 

8. What do the writings of the Fathers reveal in rela-

tion to Apostolicity? Quote St. Clement. 

9. Explain one way in which you think that the Apos-

tolic spirit can be revived. 

10. Relate a personal experience which shows the im-

portance of being Apostolic in conduct as well as in 

creed. 

8 The Catholic Church and Conversion, Chesterton, p, 15. 



THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH 

Reading the Bible 

~YY7E shall begin with personal experience. A Methodist 
woman is interviewing a priest. She is curious about 

the claims of the Catholic religion. In a frank tone of voice 
she says, "Speaking of Sacred Scripture, I have come to the 
conclusion that the Catholics in the office where I work know 
far less about the Bible than I do." The priest deliberates 
for a moment, and then gives answer, "If you mean that you 
are able to quote many texts, and to recite certain Psalms 
by heart, and to describe characters found in the Old Testa-
ment, I am ready to admit that you know much more about 
the Bible than most Catholics do. But in another, and more 
important sense, I must defend the statement that an old 
Catholic woman who has never learned how to read, but who 
practices her faith, knows more about the Bible, far more, 
than you do." A veiled expression of resentment crosses her 
countenance. The priest continues, "An old Catholic woman, 
who may be illiterate in a formal sense, but who shuffles 
around the Stations of the Cross, is reading with compas-
sionate heart that portion of the New Testament which speaks 
of the passion and death of our Lord. When she goes to con-
fession she is entering most intimately into the holy narra-
tive wherein we find the Master's words, 'Whose sins you shall 
forgive, they are forgiven them.' At Mass she is present at 
the Sacrifice of Calvary, now renewed in an unbloody man-
ner. And in receiving Holy Communion she becomes a com-
panion of the disciples to whom Christ said, 'Take ye, and eat. 
This is my body.' Do you not grant that in a deep and vital 
sense, this old woman who can neither read nor write knows 
more about the Bible than you do?" He waits for an an-
swer. There is a pause. A struggle is going on within a 
mind long hampered by prejudice. Then comes the convic-
tion, liberated by lowliness, "I do." 

This little story is not told for the purpose of defending 

42 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE CHURCH 43 

any carelessness on the part of Catholics who seldom turn the 
pages of the Bible. It is to be granted that while there never 
has been a general prohibition against the reading of the Bible 
by the laity, there were, during the thirteenth century, a num-
ber of local restrictions which the Church introduced against 
the use of vernacular versions, because of the danger of mis-
interpreting certain texts which were being popularized by a 
dangerous heresy known as Catharism, a general name for 
dualistic sects who said that there are two supreme principles: a 
principle of good, and a supreme principle of evil who created 
the material world and is coexistent with the supreme prin-
ciple of good. Against the reading of approved translations 
in any language, there are no restrictions at the present time. 
On the contrary, the faithful are encouraged to read the word 
of God in their own language, by the granting of indulgences, 
notably those published by Pope Pius X in 1914 for members 
of associations for the promotion of the reading of the Gospels. 

The Church and the Bible 

In a matter so tremendously important as salvation, the 
Church constantly maintains a balance, a sense of proportion, 
a respect for logic. First of all, the Church antedates the 
completion of the Bible. The doctrines of the Church do not 
need any Scriptural text for their warrant; dogmas are be-
lieved not because they are contained in the Bible, but on the 
authority of God who teaches mankind through the Church 
which He founded. The inspiration of the Bible is itself a 
dogma resting on the teaching authority of the Church di-
vinely sanctioned and protected against error. The general 
historical trustworthiness of Sacred Scripture is ascertained 
by purely historical methods. In brief, it may be said that 
Holy Scripture is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, 
and to instruct in justice, but the direct reading of it is not 
necessary to salvation, nor is the Bible the only or the direct 
rule of a Christian's faith. The unfailing teaching authority 
of the Church is the direct rule. Sacred Scripture and tradi-
tion are the joint source of revelation. 



44 THE TRUE CHURCH 

Cardinal Franzelin on Authority 

There is a treatise on Divine Tradition and Scripture that 
is considered a classic. It was written by Cardinal Franzelin 
(1816-86), a devout and scholarly dogmatic theologian who 
explained the doctrines of the Church for 22 years in the Ro-
man College. Study his words: 

"The book which Christ wrote was the Apostles, a book writ-
ten not in ink, but with the Holy Ghost, who gave to the Apostles 
all authority, all power, and jurisdiction in the Church. He ap-
pointed them to rule, to teach, and to sanctify the faithful"— 
Scrip, et Trad. Th. iv. 

Chaos and Calm 
Many in the modern world are caught in that current 

which accepts nothing for certain except what comes through 
the authority of the senses. In the more advanced forms of 
skepticism the senses themselves are not considered trust-
worthy witnesses. This soon leads to the conclusion that the 
intellect can never know things as they really are. Hence, 
the drift towards mental confusion in man's subjective states' 
and constant chaos in his external dealings as expressed in 
political and economic life. At the bottom of the complexi-
ties which surround such elementary matters as food, clothing 
and shelter, which had led to the bewildering condition of 
poverty in the midst of abundance, Pope Pius XI finds one 
thing—greed. The fundamental problem, then, is spiritual 
bankruptcy. The question arises, "How is greed to be rooted 
out of the hearts of men?" His answer is, "We must begin by 
touching the consciences of men." This necessitates the 
recognition of moral law, and submission to an external au-
thority, vested with power to teach, to sanctify, and to gov-
ern. While many drift towards the utter rejection of all such 
authority, it is consoling to observe that there is another 
current of human beings moving towards peace and spiritual 
security offered by the Church of Him who said "Come to 
me, all you that labor, and are burdened, and I will refresh 
you" (Matt. xi. 28). 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE CHURCH 45 

If doubt and denial frequently develop into a psychological 
whirlwind, certainty, such as follows the acceptance of a de-
pendable teaching authority, can effect a great calm. At this 
point those who glory in what they choose to call "free 
thought" may say that the person who accepts the Church as 
an authority in matters of faith and morals, will have to stop 
thinking altogether. On the contrary, mystery should feed 
the mind, and the convert who responds to the sublime veri-
ties which are found in the Apostles' Creed should find himself 
thinking more than ever but in the right direction. Last year 
as reported in the Catholic Directory, more than 60,000 peo-
ple who were searching for a trustworthy interpreter of ulti-
mate realities entered the Church in the United States. 

The Authority of Christ 

The authority of the true Church is derived from the au-
thority of Christ, true God and true man, who imparted His 
power to the Apostles and their successors. If a non-Cath-
olic student accepts Scripture and Tradition as historical evi-
dence, he should be convinced that Christ is divine as well as 
human. His divinity flashes forth with astounding brilliance 
in the resurrection. Once he admits that Christ is God, he 
should accept what Christ teaches, because no certitude can 
be more secure than that which rests upon the authority of 
Him who by His very nature can neither deceive nor be de-
ceived. Without impairing His humility, Christ taught with 
unmistakable authority: 

"And it came to pass when Jesus had fully ended these words, 
the people were in admiration at His doctrine. 

"For He was teaching them as one having power, and not as the 
Scribes and Pharisees" (Matt. vii. 28, 29). 

"And they were astonished at His doctrine: for His speech was 
with power" (Luke iv. 32). 

"All power is given to me in heaven and in earth" (Matt, xxviii. 
18). 

"Then Jesus said to those Jews, who believed Him: If you con-
tinue in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed. 

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you 
free" (John viii. 31, 32). 



46 THE TRUE CHURCH 

The Church Teaches With Authority 
The authority of the Eternal Father is in the teachings of 

Christ: "My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me" 
(John vii. 16). He transmits this authority to His Church: 
"As the Father hath sent me, I also send you" (John xx. 21). 
The Triune God teaches mankind through the Church: "But 
the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in 
my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to 
your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you" (John xiv. 
26). Moreover, there is divine sanction to the teaching au-
thority of the true Church: "Go ye into the whole world, and 
preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is 
baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be 
condemned" (Mark xiv. IS, 16). 

The Sanctifying Authority of the Church 
Recall that Cardinal Franzelin said that Christ appointed 

the Apostles, not only to teach, but also to sanctify. Much 
as we treasure the truth, we must have even greater rever-
ence for charity and the spiritual life. The Church is the 
mystical body of Him who called Himself "the way, and the 
truth, and the life" (John xvi. 6). With authority the Church 
enacts the part of Christ as priest. The Church offers in an 
unbloody manner the same Sacrifice of Him who shed His 
Precious Blood that the children of Adam might obtain life 
through His suffering and death. Baptism is the gateway to a 
participation in the life of God. Confirmation strengthens 
that life. Penance, through the mercy of the Master, can 
restore the life of grace if it has been lost through serious 
sin, or intensify the life if the penitent already enjoys the 
friendship of Him who said, "Whose sins you shall forgive, 
they are forgiven them." The Eucharist is not only a sacri-
fice, but also a sacrament of Divine Life and Love, a food so 
sublime that those who receive it fruitfully are gradually 
assimilated into Incarnate Love, and are able to exclaim, "I 
live now, not I, but Christ liveth in me." With power the 
Church presides over the Sacrament of Orders which per-



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE CHURCH 47 

petuates the priesthood, and over the Sacrament of Matri-
mony1 through which God's grace makes it possible for the 
spirit of the Holy Home in Nazareth to invigorate the hearts 
of fathers, mothers and children in the homes of those who 
respond to the sanctifying authority of the Church. 

The Pastoral Authority of the Church 
The Church continues the work of the Good Shepherd. 

It seeks to unify the human race in God. This unification is 
spoken of tenderly as "one fold and one shepherd" (John x. 
16). The Church performs this pastoral work with the au-
thority of Him who said, "Feed my lambs; feed my sheep" 
(John xxi. 17). A bishop carries a staff to remind the faith-
ful of a shepherd. Priests are given faculties by their bishops 
to teach and to preach, because in teaching and preaching 
are to be found the occasions of grace which serve to gather 
the sheep around the Good Shepherd. Furthermore, in offer-
ing Mass, and by administering the Sacraments the Good 
Shepherd, personally or by His grace, associates most inti-
mately with the sheep. 

To review hastily what has been said: Christ entrusts to 
His Church the threefold office and authority of teacher, priest 
and pastor. As teacher the truths of revelation are imparted; 
as priest the means of grace are administered; as pastor the 
faithful are directed to the pastures of eternal joy. 

Church and State 
In our day the authority of the Church is frequently ig-

nored, and even made the object of scorn, so advanced is the 
secularization of modern life. The State tends to go beyond 
its own purpose, and to violate the rights of the spiritual so-
ciety whose province is man's eternal welfare. Pope Pius 
XI has taken a stand against what is called racism or exces-
sive nationalism, as contrary to the designs of the Author of 
nature. The Church was instituted by Christ, and in its 
purpose is distinct from the State; but the State should not 
be separated from the Church, although under certain serious 

1 Cf. "The Family," Catholic Mind. August 22, 1938. 



48 THE TRUE CHURCH 

circumstances such separation may be tolerated and even pre-
ferred.2 

Pray that enmity and suspicions may be replaced by 
charity and that the threefold authority of the Church may 
constantly inspire her children to work faithfully, both indi-
vidually as in association with others, toward the happy end 
of bringing light and guidance, and sanctification to distracted 
humanity, that all may be one in Christ. 

Questions 
1. By whose authority is the Bible called the word of 

God? 
2. What encouragement is given to Catholics to read the 

Bible. 
3. Reveal the mind of Cardinal Franzelin concerning the 

threefold authority of the Church. 
4. Express the ideas of Pius XI on the cause and the 

cure of modern economic chaos. 
5. Does submission to the teaching authority of the 

Church tend to stop people from thinking? 
6. What is the precise value of the authority of Christ? 
7. Explain the sanctifying authority imparted by Christ 

to the Apostles. 
8. Interpret the statement, "I am the Good Shepherd" in 

terms of the Church. 
9. Is the complete separation of Church and State to be 

desired under all circumstances? 
10. Through personal reflection evaluate the influence of 

a Catholic school as distinguished from a purely secu-
cular school. 

11. In what way does the saying of the Rosary foster the 
spirit which enlivens the triple authority of the 
Church? 

2 " In your part of the world the Church enjoys, without any interference by 
the civil authorities, perfect and unhampered liberty of life and action; it is hindered 
by no laws, it is defended against violence by common law and justice. But while 
this is true it would be wrong for anyone to conclude that we have to look to 
America for an example of the Church in its ideal state, or that it is lawful and 
expedient, that religious and civil affairs should be everywhere totally dissociated 
after the American fashion" (Leo XII I , Ep. Longinqua Oceani, January 6, 1895). 



THE INFALLIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 

Searching for Truth 

A MAN who lived on a little farm along the Chemung 
River had what appeared to be a noble ambition. He 

cultivated the land, not for the purpose of getting rich, but 
merely to have enough to live on in order that, by reading and 
studying, he might gather in a harvest of truth. For over fifty 
years he pursued this course. In what did the harvest con-
sist at the end? Note the cockle in the enumeration which 
follows: 

| | He believed in the transmigration of souls. 
2. He denied the right of private property. 

3. He held that the will of man is not free, but determined 
completely by heredity and environment. 

4. He subscribed to theosophy. 

When asked, "What was your guide?" he replied, "Merely 
my own judgment." During the conversation he was annoyed 
by the assertion that the Catholic Church is the one unfailing 
teacher in the really big things of life. To him it appeared 
an absurd presumption to say that the Pope is endowed with 
infallibility when speaking to the whole world on matters of 
faith and morals. And yet (please observe the inconsistency), 
the very precaution against making a mistake which he denied 
to the Holy Father, that very prerogative, with fewer limits, 
he attributed to himself, and to millions of others who, as he 
said, "have the power to judge with unfailing correctness for 
themselves." 

The Church Claims Infallibility 

Man can find out certain things for himself. But many 
things he must accept on the authority of others. The au-
thority should be trustworthy. In matters of faith and morals 

49 



50 THE TRUE CHURCH 

the authority ought to be infallible. When this is denied there 
is bound to be confusion in society, and things will drift to-
wards anarchy or tyranny, as they have done already. The 
man on the farm, relying solely on a subjective standard, 
might be called a victim of the error of "private interpreta-
tion" diffused by Martin Luther. As soon as a person reflects 
he should try to discover by reason and revelation, the purpose 
of human existence, and the means whereby that purpose is to 
be attained. A successful pursuit of truth, using valid ex-
ternal authority as well as personal observation, will lead to 
several tremendous facts which may be briefly stated: 

1. Man's purpose is to gain salvation. 
2. A society has been founded by God to tell man what 

he is to believe and what he is to do to save his soul. 

3. To help man to save his soul this society, the Church, 
acts as teacher, priest, and shepherd. 

4. In exercising this threefold office the Church is safe-
guarded against error. 

This leads to the discussion of the fact that there is in the 
world a teaching authority, endowed with infallibility under 
certain conditions. 

Infallibility: Its Source 

The question is raised: "Why does the Church make the 
remarkable claim of freedom from the possibility of making a 
mistake when teaching all the faithful on matters of faith and 
morals?" If we admit that Christ is truly God as well as 
man, His words and promises have unshakable authority, and 
lead to certitude so secure that nothing can be more secure. 
The Son of God has all knowledge, and all power. He 
founded a Church upon Peter. He sent the Apostles forth 
to teach all nations, and He guaranteed that the Church would 
continue until the end of time. "I am with you all days, even 
to the consummation of the world" (Matt, xxviii. 20). Se-
curity against error, the seed of disintegration, is strongly ex-
pressed in this divine prophecy. 



THE INDEFECTIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 51 

Moreover, another heavenly guarantee against error was 
advanced when the Saviour said, "I will ask the Father and 
He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with 
you forever, the Spirit of Truth" (John xiv. 12-17). The 
Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, as promised, and 
still abides with the Church to protect it against the loss or 
distortion of the truths which Christ commanded the disciples 
to teach. 

Unfailing teaching security is cleasly proclaimed when 
our Lord says, "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will 
build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against it" (Matt. xv. 16). Persecutions may assail the 
Church from the outside, heresies may try to destroy its life 
from within, the human elements (even the Pope) may trans-
gress the laws of God, but the mystical body of Christ is ever 
protected against teaching false doctrine. Otherwise the gates 
of hell would prevail. 

Tradition Implies Infallibility 

Although the doctrine of infallibility was not explicitly 
defined until during .the Vatican Council (1870), it is strongly 
implied all through Christian tradition. With reverence we 
listen to: 

1. St. Augustine who voices the mind of the Church in 
his day. He brings the controversy against the heretic, 
Pelagius, to a close by saying, "Rome has spoken, the case 
is closed." 

2. The Fathers of Ephesus (431) declare that they are 
"compelled to condemn the heresy of Nestorius by the sa-
cred canons and by the letter of Our Holy Father and co-
minister, Celestine, the Bishop of Rome." 

3. The Fathers of Chalcedon (451) after hearing Leo's 
message read, recognized the safeguard against error by saying, 
"So do we all believe. . . . Peter has spoken through Leo." 

4. Mark the reference to infallibility in these words of the 



52 THE TRUE CHURCH 

Council of Constantinople (869-870), "The Catholic religion 
is preserved inviolable in the Apostolic See." 

Until the Photian Schism in the East, and the Gallican 
movement in the West, there was no formal denial of infalli-
bility. 

Instruments of Infallibility 

Coming closer to the exercise of this unfailing teaching 
power of the Church the question may be asked, "By whom 
are the decisions of the Church given?" The answer: "Either 
by the Supreme Head of the Church, the Pope, or by a Coun-
cil confirmed by the Pope." To express the matter in other 
words, the Church teaches infallibly when it speaks through 
the Pope and the bishops united in a General Council, or 
through the Pope alone when he proclaims to all the faithful 
a doctrine of faith and morals. 

A General Council is also called a Ecumenical Council. It 
is distinguished from a Particular or Provincial Council, and 
consists of an assembly of bishops of the entire Catholic 
Church summoned by the Roman Pontiff. It represents the 
Universal Church as constituted by Christ. Since the primacy 
of Peter, and of his successor, the Pope, is an essential feature 
in the constitution of the Church, it follows that there is no 
such thing as a General Council independent of, or in opposi-
tion to, the Holy Father. No corporate body can perform a 
valid corporate act without the consent and co-operation of its 
head. Only the Pope can authoritatively confirm the decrees 
of a General Council. I t is not necessary that the Pope should 
preside in person; he may act through legates. 

Noteworthy Councils 

In the year 51 the Apostles held the first Council of Jeru-
salem. Since that time twenty General Councils have been as-
sembled. Fruitful fields of study can be opened by following 
the proceedings of such Councils as: 

1. The Council of Nicaea (325) which repelled the Arian 
heresy. 



THE INDEFECTIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 53 

2. The Third Council of Ephesus (425) which declared 
Mary to be the Mother of God. 

3. The Nineteenth General Council of Trent (1545-1563) 
occasioned by the heresies of Luther. 

4. The Vatican Council (1870—) which defined the in-
fallibility of the Pope as an article of faith. 

The Limits of Papal Infallibility 

We now come to the infallibility of the Supreme Pontiff. 
Many Protestants (searching like the farmer for a harvest of 
truth) virtually maintain that they enjoy infallibility when 
they devoutly read the Bible and use the standard of private 
interpretation. Hundreds of divergent sects, teaching at times 
contradictory doctrines, have followed in the path of this 
method, and have tempted not a few to classify eternal verities 
among vague opinions and soft sentiments. The Church does 
not claim that the Pope is infallible except under certain defi-
nite limits. Should you ask: "When does the Roman Pontiff 
exercise his prerogative of personal infallibility?", the answer 
is: "The Roman Pontiff exercises his prerogative of personal 
infallibility when he speaks 'ex cathedra'—that is, when, in 
the exercise of his office as Shepherd and Teacher of all Chris-
tians he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held 
by the whole Church."1 

Study well, then, the limits of Papal infallibility: 

1. The Holy Father must speak "ex cathedra"—that is, 
from the "chair" or position once occupied by Peter, the first 
visible head of the Church. He acts in virtue of his office of 
chief pastor and teacher of the Church, and as successor of the 
one upon whom Christ built the Church. 

2. The Pope must speak "ex cathedra" on matters of faith 
and morals. Hence it is not asserted that he is protected 
against the possibility of making a mistake when he speaks 
on any other subject, such as mathematics, or botany. 

l The Catholic Catechism. Gasparri, p. 103. 



54 THE TRUE CHURCH 

3. The Pope must address the faithful of the whole world. 
It would not suffice if he directed his decree to one or more of 
the bishops, nor even to a considerable number; His pro-
nouncement must be for the universal Church. 

The Vatican Council (1870) made explicit what was at 
least implicit in the Church from the time of our Lord, when 
He promised to protect Peter and his successors against teach-
ing what is contrary to revelation. Read carefully the words 
of the Council which defined: "as a divinely revealed dogma" 
that "the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra—that 
is, when in the exercise of his office as pastor and teacher of 
all Christians he defines, by virtue of his supreme apostolic 
authority, a doctrine of faith or morals to be held by the whole 
Church—is, by reason of the Divine assistance promised to 
him in blessed Peter, possessed of that infallibility with which 
the Divine Redeemer wished His Church to be endowed in 
defining doctrines of faith and morals, and consequently that 
such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are irreformable of their 
own nature and not by reason of the Church's consent." 

Misconceptions of the Term 
At times opposition to this doctrine is to be traced to a 

misunderstanding of the term. Some seem to think that in-
fallibility has the same meaning as impeccability, and are under 
the impression that Papal infallibility means that the Pope is 
exempt from liability to sin. As a matter of fact, the Popes 
have been, with few exceptions, conspicuous for their virtues. 
Seventy-nine have been canonized. However, freedom from 
the possibility of making a mistake in doctrine under certain 
conditions is quite apart from inability to sin. 

Others make the mistake of thinking that infallibility is 
the same as divine inspiration. The gift of inspiration was 
conferred upon the Apostles, and their writings are accepted 
as the revealed word of God. It is not correct to say that 
Papal infallibility means that the Pope is inspired or endowed 
with divine revelation properly so called. To quote the Vatican 
Council: 



THE INDEFECTIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 55 

"For the Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of 
Peter in order that they might spread abroad new doctrine which 
He reveals, but that, under His assistance, they might guard in-
violably, and with fidelity explain, the revelation or deposit of 
faith handed down by the apostles."2 

This statement should serve to make clear that infallibility 
is not a modern invention, nor does it serve as a means of in-
troducing new doctrine. 

Gratitude for Mental Security 
Security of mind comes through cheerful submission to the 

Church, our unfailing teacher in matters of eternal conse-
quence. The modern world is suffering from conflicting inter-
pretations of reality. One-tenth the surface of the earth is now 
tyrannized by a spurious internationalism, whose philosophy 
of life not only rejects the supernatural, but maintains that the 
utter destruction of religion is necessary for the economic well-
being of the human race. Christian soldiers, armed with truth, 
must move forward charitably on their knees, openly professing 
the truth taught b"y the divinely appointed Church acting as 
their infallible guide to eternal joy. We must not waver. St. 
Paul warns us against being "Carried about with every wind 
of doctrine by the wickedness of men." He calls us to draw 
mankind into the one, unfailing Church "until we all meet 
into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of 
God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age' of the 
fullness of Christ" (Eph. iv. 13). 

Questions 

1. What consequences follow from relying upon private 

judgment in all matters? 

2. Does Sacred Scripture imply that the true Church 

will be protected always against error? 

2 Cose. Vat. Const. Pastor Aeternus, C. 4. 



56 THE TRUE CHURCH 

3. Explain the attitude of Christian tradition towards 
the Church as a trustworthy teacher. 

4. Who renders the doctrinal decision of the Church? 

5. Point out the difference between a Particular Council 
and a General Council. Name two General Councils. 

6. What precisely is meant by Papal infallibility? 

7. Can the pronouncements of a Council be infallible? 

8. Refute one misconception that frequently attends 
opposition to the doctrine of Papal infallibility. 

9. Does the exercise of infallibility introduce new doc-
trines? 

10. What connection can be established between a devout 
life, and the frui tful work of a Study Club that wishes 
to oppose the development of atheistic international-
ism, or to refute the misconception that the Church 
is merely a department of the State? 



THE INDEFECTIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 

Gamaliel States the Test 

SHORTLY after Christ founded the Church, Peter and his companions were brought before the Sanhedrin, or Jewish 
Court. They were accused of having filled Jerusalem with 
the teachings of the Crucified. The Prince of the Apostles 
uttered a simple defense, "We ought to obey God rather than 
men" (Acts v. 29). These words so angered the Jews that 
they were "cut to the heart" and "thought to put them to 
death" (Acts v. 33). There was a tense moment of indecision. 
Then Gamaliel, a fair-minded lawyer, calmly rose in the coun-
cil chamber and delivered a short speech that will be long re-
membered: 

"Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to 
do, as touching these men" (Acts v. 35). 

He next appealed to history which shows the fleeting char-
acter of human institutions, and then rested his case upon the 
unconquerable stability of the Almighty by concluding: 

"And now, therefore, I say to you, refrain from these men, and 
let them alone; for if this council or this work be of men, it will 
come to naught: 

"But if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest perhaps you 
be found even to fight against God" (Acts v. 38, 39). 

Nearly two thousand years have swept on since the day 
when the test of the stability of the work founded upon the 
rock called Peter was clearly stated. Gamaliel reviewed the 
past, and drew a valid deduction; if he had been able to cast 
a prophetic eye over the twenty centuries of violent persecu-
tion assailing the Church from without, and heresy and schism 
which have tried to destroy its vitality from within, he would 
have made the unqualified statement, "This is the work of 
God."-

57 



58 THE TRUE CHURCH 

What Indefectibility Does Not Mean 
It is important to tell, first of all, what indefectibility does 

not mean. Much opposition to Catholic doctrine arises from 
misunderstanding. Sometimes there is a disinclination to re-
move the misunderstanding. The opponents of the Apostles 
did not want to listen to the unbiased judgment of Gamaliel. 
Prayer and the spirit of fair play are needed to remove this 
obstacle. We must make clear that just as infallibility does 
not mean sinlessness, so indefectibility does not mean that 
Catholics individually can do no wrong. Even some of those 
who were directly under the instruction of our Lord did not 
remain faithful. Denial and betrayal are serious defections 
from moral stability. 

Moreover, indefectibility does not mean that each separate 
part of the Church is guaranteed against heresy and schism. 
At the time of the Mohammedan conquests whole populations 
renounced their faith. During the sixteenth century the 
Church suffered serious losses, and whole countries, such as 
Norway and Sweden, became Protestant. In an attempt to 
justify the rejection of authority, heretical bodies deny the at-
tribute of indefectibility. They contend that their plea for 
separation rests on the supposition that the main body of 
Christians has fallen so far from primitive Christianity, or 
from the original standard of Christian morals, that the forma-
tion of a new and separate body is necessary. With emphasis 
upon subjective states they argue that indefectibility pertains, 
not to a visible Church, but to an invisible Christian commu-
nity. This is a form of individualism which is not consonant 
with the corporate and enduring union of a universal organism 
which retains its identity through oneness of doctrine and sta-
bility of government. 

What Indefectibility Does Mean 
Briefly, indefectibility means that quality or attribute of 

the Church whereby it is proof against failure. Such words 
as stability, or perpetuity, may be used in place of indefecti-
bility. This permanence, or unconquerable endurance, is 



THE INDEFECTIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 59 

promised by Christ saying, "Behold, I am with you all days, 
even to the consummation of the world" (Matt, xxviii. 20). 

Gamaliel implied that if the religion of the Apostles en-
dured, this endurance would be externally visible in its tri-
umphs over trials and dangers and all the forces turned to-
wards its destruction. The dispassionate study of history pre-
sents the test of 1,900 years. Not a few non-Catholic histo-
rians, impressed by the visible stability of the Church, have 
reasoned that the source of this indefectibility is something 
internal, and, in response to grace, have entered the true fold.1 

This internal indefectibility has preserved the Church's super-
natural life, and has safeguarded her channels of grace against 
all the destructive possibilities arising from carelessness, in-
difference, and ill-will. The precise manner in which it works 
is a matter of speculation. 

To summarize: Christ endowed His Church with indefecti-
bility, and by this we mean, not merely that the Church will 
last until the end of time, but that it will preserve unimpaired 
its essential characteristics. The Church as a social organ-
ism, as the mystical body of Christ, cannot retain its identity, 
nor fulfill the prophecy of the Saviour, if it were to change 
its creed, or to undergo any constitutional alteration which 
would make it different from what it was in the beginning. 
To enumerate, the Church can never: 

1. lose its unity, 
2. or become corrupt in its faith and morals, 
3. or break down into something sectional, 
4. or sever continuity with its Apostolic foundation. 

Therefore, indefectibility is precisely what the Divine 
Teacher plainly promised when He declared that "the gates of 
hell shall not prevail against it." Should any destruction of 
unity of doctrine or of government eventuate, the powers of 
hell would prevail. Furthermore, the Saviour told Peter and 
his companions to preach the Gospel to all men. He estab-

l Among contemporary converts are listed these historians: Carlton Hayes (Co-
lumbia), Ross Hoffman (Fordham), Father Robert H. Lord (formerly of the 
Faculty of History, Harvard). 



60 THE TRUE CHURCH 

lished a Church to proclaim His revelation to the world, and 
commissioned it to warn all listeners that if they culpably re-
jected that message they would encounter eternal ruin. It 
should be evident from this that if the Church could become 
defectible by teaching false doctrine, then the mandate of 
Christ would be patently unfair. Could our Lord reasonably 
enforce under so severe a penalty what is erroneous? Christ 
is the way, the truth, and the life. He is Incarnate Truth. 
Hence it is not too strong to say that indefectibility safeguards 
the Church against even the possibility of failure. 

When the attribute of indefectibility is made to turn to-
wards morals, it means that not only does the Church always 
proclaim the perfect moral standard bequeathed by her 
Founder, but also that in every period the lives of many of her 
children are based upon a flawless Model. The supernatural 
principle of spiritual life within the Church accounts for this. 
The Holy Spirit animates the organism. Since the Fall, man's 
natural inclination is towards sin. If the Church were merely 
a human society, with purely human supports, relying solely 
upon natural ingenuity, it would become defective in its moral 
code, and would not enjoy the quality of indefectibility. 
Gamaliel saw this point in the clear light of reason, and so he 
warned the Jewish Court of the futility of fighting against 
what is of divine origin. While we have not reached the end 
of time, twenty centuries of opposition have been sufficient to 
prove the presence in the Church of something that can and 
does resist conquest. 

Jewish Opposition 
The external forces directed against the Church have been 

so violent and of such frequency that no "mere human institu-
tion could survive. "Let them alone," said Gamaliel, but the 
Jews in their perversity directed the full force of their ill-will 
against what Christ had founded. St. Stephen, the first Chris-
tian martyr, was stoned to death. St. James was hurled from 
the roof of the Temple, and St. Bartholomew suffered the ex-
cruciating torture of having his skin torn from his body. And 



THE INDEFECTIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 61 

yet Christianity not only survived, but showed renewed vital-
ity. And the Jews who had clamored for the blood of Christ 
were in a few years crushed and scattered by disease, famine, 
and the military onslaughts of the Roman Empire—crushed 
and scattered with the warning of the far-sighted lawyer still 
echoing in their memories, "If this work be of God, you can-
not overthrow it." 

Pagan Persecutions 

The pagans prolonged and intensified the opposition of the 
Jews. The disciples, enlivened by the fire of Pentecost, moved 
forward. Martyrs were soon numbered by the hundreds.2 St. 
Paul was silenced by the axe of the executioner; St. Peter was 
crucified head downward in the city which deserves to be 
called Eternal because of the enduring qualities of the Uni-
versal Church. Half-famished beasts, and hooks, and heart-
less flames added inexpressible agony to the customary tortures 
inflicted by the Jews, and in place of the forty years of Jewish 
persecution, pagan opposition burst forth with appalling fre-
quency for a period of three hundred years. Behind this ex-
ternal resistance there burned such subtle designs as were 
aroused by the intellectual power of the Gentile philosophers, 
or by the sly skill of the envious pagan priests, or by the polit-
ical planning of the Roman Empire which regarded the Church 
as its rival for supremacy. And yet the Church remained un-
conquered. The sublime example of the Christians who suf-
fered patiently after the manner of their crucified Master 
seemed to dramatize the words of Gamaliel, "If it be of God, 
you cannot overthrow it." 

Barbarian Persecutions 

To the organized efforts of the Romans must be added the 
ruthless onslaught of the barbarians who inundated southern 
Europe during the fifth century. The apparently impregnable 
Empire fell beneath the impact, but the kingdom of God stood 

2 The prayer following the Memento for the Dead in the Canon of the Mass 
contains a list of early Christian martyrs. I t would be interesting to prepare a 
short biography of each. C). Holy Sacrifice o/ Mass, Gihr, Herder, p. 677. 



62 THE TRUE CHURCH 

firm and, vindicating its divine mission, repaid hatred with 
charity by enkindling the holy light of faith among the unholy 
hordes of darkness. 

Schism and Heresy 
The Church has resisted, not only violence from without, 

but also the gnawing influence of heresy and schism from 
within. Heresy is the denial of doctrine. Schism usually 
arises from a quarrel about submission to ecclesiastical author-
ity, and cuts the bonds which bind the faithful to Rome. Dur-
ing the eleventh century it is estimated that 100,000 Christians 
repudiated their allegiance to the Holy Father. Later the 
Great Western Schism seriously disturbed Christendom, and 
served as the forerunner of the widespread apostasy of the so-
called Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther raised the 
standard of Private Interpretation of the Bible, thereby open-
ing wide the gates of disunion. Scores of sects were the in-
evitable consequence. Private judgment invited indifference, 
and indifference soon welcomed the rejection of the Bible and 
religion altogether. In the United States alone more than 
60,000,000 people are said to have no religious affiliation.3 

Luther was not the first heretic, nor the last. Long before his 
day: 

Arius (c. 250-336) denied the divinity of Christ. 
Pelagius (c. 405) spread false doctrines concerning the 

nature and necessity of grace. 
Nestorius refused to admit that Mary is the Mother of 

God. He was condemned by the Council of Ephesus (430), 
and Chalcedon (451). (Were the list complete it would be a 
long inventory of unfaithfulness.) 

These are only a few of many disloyal sons who have 
plunged the dagger of denial deep into the bosom of the 
Church, but the Church has proved invulnerable. "No weapon 
that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue 
that resisteth thee in judgment thou shalt condemn" (Isaias 
liv. 17). St. Augustine wrote, "As fire is necessary to purify 

s "The One and Only Church," Pamphlet No. 61, p. 8, Sunday Visitor Press 



THE INDEFECTIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 63 

silver and separate it from the dross, so heresies are necessary 
to prove the good Christians among the bad, and separate 
the true from false doctrine." 

Modern Opposition 
Modern opposition simply streamlines the destructive de-

vices of the past. In Russia, Mexico and Spain attempts have 
been made to extinguish the light of faith with the blood of 
Christians. In our own land the secularization of educational, 
industrial, and domestic life develops a growing pressure against 
religion: 

(a) To exclude religion from the curriculum of school or 
university systems is not unrelated in purpose to the 
onrush of barbarians. 

(b) In popular, and at times in supposedly scientific, litera-
ture, the pen of the atheist is given to the same task 
as the weapon of the pagan persecutor. 

(c) Bigotry and secret societies spread in a more subtle 
manner than the flames with which Nero tried to burn 
belief out of the hearts of those who gloried in the 
cross of Christ. 

Tossed about in a sea of trouble the bark of Peter is proof 
against shipwreck, much to the amazement of even her enemies. 
"This is the Lord's doing; and it is wonderful in our eyes" 
(Psalm cxvii. 23). 

Personal Stability 
Confident as we are that the Church of Christ will be di-

vinely protected against storms until the end of time, we must 
have diffidence in ourselves because individual Catholics can 
easily suffer from such instability as leads to loss of faith, and 
moral depravity. In concluding this review of the marks and 
attributes of the Church, one resolution should animate us all, 
namely, to extend the kingdom of God on earth by stimulat-
ing conversions.4 But do not forget that ordinary people are 
unwilling to read big books of apologetics, or even little pam-

4 CI. Spurs to Conversion, Betowski, Benziger Brothers. 



64 THE TRUE CHURCH 

phlets that aim to show that the Catholic Church is the work 
of God. We may not be able to draw them into discussion 
about religion. Nor can we get them to listen to long and at 
times wearisome, sermons on the indefectibility of the Church. 
On the other hand, thoughtful persons cannot be kept from 
making a study of our very lives. Edifying conduct is a book 
that can be quickly read. It is an open forum that is easily 
understood. It is a form of silent eloquence that speaks of the 
one, true, and unconquerable Church, echoing the ancient and 
significant statement of Gamaliel, "If it be of God, you cannot 
overthrow it."B 

Questions 
1. Repeat the argument of Gamaliel in his defense of the 

Apostles. 

2. What are two misconceptions of indefectibility? 

3. Define indefectibility: (a) in relation to doctrine; (b) 
in relation to the government of the Church. 

4. In what way can the occasion of the grace of conver-
sion be obtained by reading history? 

5. Name two converts among contemporary historians. 
6. What forms of opposition are hurled against the 

Church? 

7. Describe: (a) the persecution by the Jews; (b) the 
opposition of the pagans; (c) the barbarian invasion. 

8. Distinguish between heresy and schism. Give his-
torical references. 

9. Point out several forms of modern opposition to the 
Church. 

10. Discuss the possibility of doing something definite to 
increase the number of converts to the true Church. 

5 Study Clubs should aim to be doers of the word and not hearers and talkers 
only. An admirable and inexpensive means of using the printed word as a means 

brmging the true Church to the attention of non-Catholics was inaugurated in 
1929 by a small group of men in St. Margaret's parish at Narbeth, Pa The 

J? opera tes .i" nearly 60 centers. Details may be had by writing to: 
The Catholic Information Society, Box 35, Narbeth, Pa. 

«X «isSggSt»