June 5, 2007

On the Importance of the Church

We do not know anything about Jesus Christ. He never wrote a letter or book; none of the New Testament was written by him; he left no record of his teachings or his life - except through the Church he founded. Think about it. Jesus totally entrusted himself to the Church. The sacred memory of his teachings and all accounts of his deeds are only found through the Church. Everything we know about Jesus, we know through the mediation of the Church. God willed that it would be this way. The entire New Testament was written by early members of the Church. The later compilation of the New Testament, that is to say the decisions about what should or should not be scripture, was handled by the Bishops who succeeded the Twelve Apostles.

If you read the Gospel of St. Luke as part one and the Acts of Apostles as part two of a single work you will discover a beautiful theology of the Church. The Gospel of St. Luke focuses on the action of the Holy Spirit in the mission of Jesus. Acts of the Apostles starts with the Pentecost descent of the Holy Spirit on the Church. Now we see that the action of the Holy Spirit in the mission of Jesus becomes the mission of the Church. The Church leaders are then seen saying and doing what Jesus had said and did. The account of the first martyrdom, St. Stephen, has many parallels to the death of Jesus.

In the Apostles Creed we pray, "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church..." We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that "[T]he mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit is brought to completion in the Church, which is the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit... Thus the Church's mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament..." (##737,738).

The Church is the context of our relationship with Jesus, the place of the Holy Spirit. She is our mother, the bride of Christ. The conclusions to be drawn from this reality are many: Therefore, love the Pope, the Bishops, the Priests, the official doctrine, the seven sacraments - especially the holy Eucharist, Mary, the saints, the devotions and culture. All of these things are helps, not hindrances, to our relationship with God in Jesus Christ. The Church is important!

Let us pray for each other,

Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR

St. Joseph Friary, New York, NY

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