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.