All Roads Lead To Rome
BY JOE SIXPACK
A young Jew living in North Africa fell in love with a Protestant minister’s daughter and asked his permission to marry her. The minister told the young fellow he’d never give his daughter’s hand to an unbelieving Jew.
Later, however, the minister told his daughter he’d give his consent to marriage, but only if she could convert the young man to Christianity. The Jewish lad accepted the challenge, and the young couple began an earnest study of religions. They compared books, discussed teachings, studied Scripture, and went as in depth as they could. In the end, both the boy and the girl converted . . . to the Catholic Church.
A similar story involves Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman. Newman was a Protestant and a founding member of the Oxford Movement. Newman’s colleagues asked the young scholar to write a history of Christianity, and he accepted the assignment. On the very day Newman’s history was rolling off the printing presses, he was received into the Catholic Church.
When asked what could make a non-Catholic man become a Catholic, he responded, “To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.”
There can be only one Church founded by Jesus Christ. He never founded a plurality of churches, but only one. He didn’t say, “Upon this rock I will build my churches,” but rather “Upon this rock I will build my church.”
The Church founded by Jesus Christ must find its origins with the apostles — which is called apostolicity. The true Church must trace its origins in an unbroken line to Jesus and the twelve apostles. Before giving His divine commission to the apostles, Jesus insists that His divine commission comes from His Father. “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (John 20:21). “…These very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me” (John 5:36). “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:18-19). No individual has the right to associate himself with the apostles — he must be “sent” or “commissioned” with divine authority. “And how can men preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:15)
Let’s say a body of twelve men receives a contract from the owner of a large wheat field in America’s Midwest to gather in the whole harvest, and they receive at the same time the right to hire as many other workers as are necessary to fulfill their contract. No one else can lawfully work in that field expecting payment, unless he has been empowered to do so by one of the twelve, or someone else acting in their name and with their authority. So the Lord of the harvest (Luke 10:1-12) has given the harvesting of nations to the twelve apostles and their legitimate successors until His Second Coming at the end of time.
No usurper nor intruder outside the legitimate succession can have any jurisdiction. A break with the past (non-Catholic Christianity) proves that apostolicity of origin has been lost. As Jesus Himself put it, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).
Apostolicity of origin is proof of apostolicity of doctrine. God’s Church cannot become corrupt, because He has promised to preserve it from error. “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). “I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20). “The Holy Spirit will be with you forever” (John 14:16). Jesus never said the Bible would contain all His divine Revelation, nor that the critical estimates of certain early documents would be a sufficient guarantee of His Gospel. The mere appeal to the Bible or to history is therefore beside the point. He did, however, guarantee to keep His one true Church free from error until the end of the world.
Apostolicity of ministry implies the authority to teach, to rule, and to sanctify, which has been handed down from the apostles. Validly given and received Holy Orders (Ordination) alone does not guarantee an apostolic ministry, for they may be conferred by men who are in heresy or schism. Valid Holy Orders must be accompanied by legitimate jurisdiction, which comes only through union with the head of the apostolic body, the See of Peter — the Pope.
The only Church that can rightly claim its origin isn’t due to a break with the past is the Catholic Church. Only the Catholic Church can prove an unbroken line of succession from St. Peter to our current Pontiff. This means that only the Catholic Church has the authority to teach in Christ’s name, with His full authority, and without the possibility of falling into error on matters of faith and morals.
Infallibility is the key to knowing what Jesus expects of us. Would a good God, “who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4), fail to provide His Revelation with a living, infallible teacher? Would a just God command us to believe under penalty of Hell (Mark 16:16), and at the same time leave us to the mercy of every false and lying teacher, preaching a Gospel opposed to His (2 Peter 2:1; Gal. 1:8)? No! The Church Christ founded is spoken of everywhere in the New Testament as a divine, infallible teaching authority. Because Jesus and His Church are one, and because He is an infallible God, His Church must be by necessity also be infallible.
This means we must accept all that the holy Catholic Church teaches. We aren’t permitted to pick and choose what to believe when it comes to matters of faith and morals — we’re not allowed to be Cafeteria Catholics. That isn’t an option. Jesus Himself said, “…he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). So picking and choosing is not an option.
It’s been said that Joe Sixpack is “out of step” by some people who don’t like what they read on these pages. Out of step with what? Never has there been taught on these pages anything other than the Magisterial truth taught by Christ’s Church, nor will there ever be anything taught on these pages other than those Magisterial truths.
Therefore, anything that is “out of step” on these pages means the Church is “out of step”, which is impossible. Everything taught on these pages are truths that must be accepted by Catholics in order for them to be called Catholics . . . in order to have a possibility for salvation . . . in order to remain in communion with the Church…in order to escape Hell.
I don’t care if people criticize Joe Sixpack. I don’t care if people don’t even like Joe Sixpack. What I do care about is people rejecting the teachings of the Catholic Church because they think they’re “out of step,” which translates as teachings they choose not to believe…thus risking eternity banished from Heaven. Please, I implore you, don’t reject a single teaching of our holy and ancient faith. Your eternity depends on it.
If you have a question or comment you can reach out to me through the “Ask Joe” page of JoeSixpackAnswers.com, or you can email me at Joe@CantankerousCatholic.com.
Hey, how would you like to see things like this article every week in your parish bulletin as an insert? You or your pastor can learn more about how to do that by emailing me at Joe@CantankerousCatholic.com.
