By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM
Part 1
After investigating the Inquisition, now we take a good look at the greatest marvel on this side of eternity: the Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
To rule a country is not an easy job. That is why no head of state these days can please the majority of people. Often, presidents are voted out, and the next candidate fills up the vacant seat. To rule a state may be less onerous to the nervous system than being the Pope, but it is nevertheless very difficult. To rule a university makes many regret the appointment because of the hassles involved. To rule a parish school has its purgatory, too — ask any principal. To rule a family is not free from problems, as you know if you are a parent.
If that is so, what do you think about ruling over one billion people? Without God’s assistance 24/7, it would be impossible! And yet the Catholic Church has a system of government that has lasted for two thousand years.
An immense variety of peoples, races, languages, cultures — the largest mixture of human beings imaginable, organized in missions, parishes, dioceses, prelatures — all under the authority of the Pope. It is simply marvelous!
Faithful Catholics do not demand democratic rights in the election of Popes or in the nomination of bishops. We all know it is in God’s plan to have an elected monarchy, whose visible Head is the Pope, governing in the name of Jesus Christ. And, as in every government, there are good people, wishy-washy people, and outright bad people. Beginning with St. Peter, the first Pope, who denied the Lord, continuing through a great many martyrs who died for the faith, a few black sheep, some lukewarm ones, some politicians, but also lots and lots of saints, even canonized saints: That is the Holy Mother Church we belong to!
Kingdoms, empires, republics, armies all have come and gone in history, but the papacy remains firm like a rock — the rock of Peter! Lay Catholics may disagree among themselves about issues involving politics, economics, art, science, and so on, but all are called to be united in one Lord, one faith, and one Baptism (Eph. 4:5) in the One Church of God, the Pillar and Foundation of the Truth! (1 Tim. 3:15).
The unity of faith among true Catholics is remarkable to the point of astonishment: I have visited 30 countries of the world on all continents (apart from Antarctica, of course, as there are no Catholic penguins, only pagan ones — but I digress). From Canada to Argentina, from Mexico to India, from Poland to Mozambique, one finds a marvelous unity of faith!
Without the constant assistance of God’s grace, such a reality would be totally impossible. To prove it, it suffices to remember the 25,000-plus different sects and churches that emerged from the Protestant Revolution: a total lack of unity in faith, since anyone can pick up his Bible and make up his own religion.
Another marvel is the unity of worship: regardless of language and culture, you will find in any country the same elements in the worship of God carried out by Catholics: I was in India couple of years ago and went to Mass in a parish of the Syro-Malabar Rite; in Austria I attended Mass in the Armenian Rite; in Australia I attended Mass in the Ukrainian Rite; in Pennsylvania I attended Mass in the Ruthenian Rite.
This is not to mention, of course, the angelic Traditional Latin Rite: a marvelous variety of liturgical rites, gestures, colors, vestments, and styles, but all of them following the same order of the Mass set up by the apostles: introductory prayers, Kyrie, Epistle, Gospel, homily, offertory, consecration, Communion, final blessing.
Even though I could not understand a single of the Malayalam language in India, or of Zulu in South Africa, I was perfectly able to follow the liturgy of the people there.
Yes, the Catholic Church is an outstanding miracle of government, faith, and worship present all over planet Earth. Even though we witness today a tragic crisis of faith among unfaithful Catholics, the faithful ones remain steadfast and confident that even if we do not know what the future holds, we know who holds the future!
The hand of God is also seen in the outstanding multiplicity of saints who crowd and crown the Church with their imitation of Christ. Who does not admire the simplicity of St. Francis of Assisi, the brilliance of St. Augustine, the theological precision of St. Thomas Aquinas, the integrity of St. Thomas More, the angelic virtue of St. Therese of Lisieux, the statesmanship of St. Louis IX, the apostolic zeal of St. Francis Xavier, the love of neighbor of St. Maximilian Kolbe?
One could go on and on and on, citing those who laid down their very own lives out of fidelity to Jesus Christ — as we witness even today in Islamic lands — and the countless missionary priests, brothers, sisters, and lay folks who leave everything to spend their lives serving their neighbors overseas.
Of course, someone might say that there are also saints in other religions, or at least in some Protestant denominations. Be that as it may, I have never, ever, heard of any other religion that has a juridical process to scrutinize someone’s life to assess the accuracy of his claimed virtues. Only the Catholic Church has established such a thorough investigation.
“Be Ye Perfect”
Now a short examination of conscience is called for: How do we respond to this immense gift of being a Roman Apostolic Catholic?
In the Via Dolorosa, the courageous Veronica received a unique gift: the face of the Savior imprinted on her veil. But we are called to do immensely more than to have a picture of Jesus or a crucifix at home. He calls us to think as He thinks, to be of His Mind, to behave as He wishes us to behave in all the circumstances of our lives. This supposes a real Catholic sense, an authentic and complete purity of customs and a profound and sincere piety. In other words, it supposes the sacrifice of an entire lifetime.
And what is the reward? The Christian is another Christ. We will be in an eminent way a reproduction of Christ Himself. The likeness of Christ, vivid and sacred, will be imprinted on our own souls. If we were really Christians, that is, really Catholics, we would be other Christs.
Because Christian perfection is the supreme goal of our existence — the identification with the thoughts and ways of Jesus Christ Himself, who said at the end of the Sermon of the Mount, “Be ye perfect, even as your heavenly father is perfect.”
The calling is very high, especially because He warned us in the Apocalypse that nothing defiled can enter Heaven. He wants perfection, not lukewarmness or mediocrity.
One could say, “Yes, but — Jesus loves me just as I am.” True, He does love us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us the way we are. If we have left lukewarmness for fervor, He wants us to fly higher, much higher, toward perfection. Perfection is the imitation of Christ. That is, to be able to say with St. Paul, “I live, now not I: but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).
And how does Christ live in us, what does He do to make our hearts like unto His? The whole plan boils down to one thing — and one thing alone. To lead us to do the will of His Father in everything. And we know it, because every day we ask Him just that: That is why we say in the Lord’s Prayer: Thy will be done. Not my will be done.
Next article: Miracles in the Church.
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(Raymond de Souza is an EWTN program host; regional coordinator for Portuguese-speaking countries for Human Life International [HLI]; president of the Sacred Heart Institute, and a member of the Sovereign, Military, and Hospitaller Order of the Knights of Malta. His website is: www.RaymonddeSouza.com.)
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