Foundation and Preservation

Foundation is the second of Madrid’s three signs of that Church established by Jesus of Nazareth.

Christ told the apostle Simon, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Furthermore, after Christ speaks to the apostles about “the greatest among them,” he goes on to speak directly to Peter, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you all [the pronoun here is plural] like wheat; but I have prayed for you [Peter - the pronoun is singular here ] that your faith may not fail.”

The Catholic Church can present an unbroken line of continuity from the present day back to Christ himself.  Any Church established by someone other than Christ cannot credibly claim to be the Church established by Christ.

Furthermore, embedded in Christ’s statement to Peter being the Rock is a decree of preservation, Madrid’s third sign of that Church established by Jesus of Nazareth.  "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." And later in the Gospel of Matthew, after his Resurrection, we hear Christ promise, “… behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”  Thus, we have Christ’s promise to preserve the visible Church, which he established.

Visibility

Visibility is the first of Madrid’s three signs by which to discern the Church founded by Christ.  Protestants teach that the Church is invisible.  That it is comprised of all people everywhere who believe in Jesus, and that the true members of the Church are known to God alone.  Although there are some traces of truth, this model leaves out critical features that Christ taught about the nature of the Church.  Even those who believe only in the invisible church belong to a particular church which they attend every Sunday. However, those who believe only in the invisible church generally conclude even though they may have chosen a particular church to be active in, the specific church they go to doesn’t really matter.

In contrast, Jesus declares to his hearers: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”

This is an assertion that the Church would be clearly visible… to those willing to look.  Without question the Catholic Church is clearly visible to all - Catholic and non-Catholic, Christian and non-Christian alike.

Why Catholic...

For the next series of FYCV we are going to consider Catholicism specifically.  The primary sources for this series are Patrick Madrid’s Why Be Catholic? And an article by Fr. Dwight Longenecker, “How Do We Know It’s the True Church?”

Madrid and Longenecker offer two different frameworks for testing the legitimacy of a Church as established by Christ.  So along with Madrid’s three signs, I want to strengthen his case by adding what I believe to be the four most compelling traits from Fr. Longenecker’s list of six.  I will then conclude the series with comments on a few of an array of blessings that the Church established by Jesus of Nazareth provides.

It is helpful to think of each sign or trait as a single strand, that taken together, form a rope of evidence that can readily carry the weight of the Catholic Church’s bold claim to be the Church established by Christ.

First we’ll take up Madrid’s three signs:  Visibility, Foundation, and Preservation. Protestants teach that the Church is invisible.  That it is comprised of all people everywhere who believe in Jesus, and that the true members of the Church are known to God alone. Although there are some traces of truth, this model leaves out critical features that Christ taught about the nature of the Church.

Why Can’t Every Day Be Like …. ?

Do you recall Elvis Presley singing, “Why can’t every day be like Christmas?”

 Well, in the language of Las Vegas, I’d like to see Elvis’ Christmas and raise him Advent.

 “Say what?”  you ask.  Every day will “be like Christmas” – in eternity.  At least for those in a right relationship with God.  So, the more appropriate question is, “Why can’t every day be like Advent?”

Why Advent? Advent is a time of waiting. The Oxford definition of waiting is: “staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens.”  In short, waiting is supposedly doing nothing until something happens.  However, waiting for something or someone specific is not at all like doing nothing.  For example, on the eve of Thanksgiving, I was at the Midway Airport in Chicago waiting for my two oldest sons to pick me up.  It was late, raining, and dark.  They had texted me to look for a silver Dodge SUV. It seemed that all the silver SUVs in Chicago were there at Midway driving by the arrival area!  Waiting consisted of looking over each vehicle: is it an SUV?  If so, is it silver? If so, is it a Dodge?  If so, is Jason driving?

That may be the kind of waiting Advent should be.  Looking and asking, "was that Jesus?  Was God speaking to me?  Was that an inspiration of the Holy Spirit?"  Given that, every day should be like Advent.  We will become the best-version-of-ourselves if we look back over each day asking those questions.  St. Ignatius called it the “daily examen.”

Why can’t every day be like Christmas:  Every day will be like Christmas in eternity if we make the effort to make every day here like Advent.

If you would like a one-page, simplified guide to the daily examen, click here:Request Daily Examen Guide