Apologeticae sive Theologiae Fundamentalis, Tomus II (Pars Altera): Demonstratio Catholica

The proximate end of the Church is that in it and through it the work of redemption be rendered perpetual, i.e., that the Christian religion be preserved and administered. The Protestants, since they hold that men are justified by faith alone drawn from Scripture alone, make no use of the religious ministry of the Church. Indeed they contend that individual men are immediately united to Christ and receive the Christian religion from Christ ("immediacy of the bond with Christ"). Consequently they also maintain that it does not belong to the Church to preserve and dispense the Christian religion or to render the work of redemption perpetual; rather, according to the mind of Christ, the Christian religion subsists and continues in the concrete apart from the Church. The Catholics, however, hold that Christ entrusted His religion to the Church, to be preserved perpetually and administered to each of the faithful, in the sense that the Church is Christ morally or mystically living and acting among men until the end of the world: The Vatican Council enunciates this doctrine thus: "The eternal Pastor and Bishop of our souls, in order to render the salutary work of redemption perpetual, decreed to build the holy Church."¹

It is proved by the testimony of Christ, the apostles, and the Fathers.

1. Christ conferred His mission upon the Church by saying to the apostles as rulers of the Church: "As the Father has sent me, I also send you."¹ But Christ's mission was directed to the work of redemption, that is, the Christian religion. Therefore the mission of the Church also regards the Christian religion — not indeed as to be instituted (since Christ alone instituted it), but as to be conserved and applied.

2. Christ handed over His power to the Church by saying to the apostles as rulers of the Church: "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth: going therefore, teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world."² But Christ's power was directed to those things by which the work of redemption, that is, the Christian religion, is constituted. Therefore the Church is also called to the same end. Indeed:

3. Christ gave the Church His offices of teaching the faith, of sanctifying, and of governing men in the way of salvation. The office of teaching the faith: "Preach the gospel to every creature: he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."³ The office of sanctifying, that is, of administering the sacraments: "…baptizing them";⁴ "whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them"⁵ The office of governing the faithful: "He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me. But he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me."⁶

"Feed my lambs, feed my sheep."⁷ But by this threefold office the work of redemption is made perpetual, that is, the Christian religion is conserved and applied. Therefore the conservation and application of the Christian religion is the end of the Church.

1. The Apostles, in explicit words, attribute to themselves the office, received from God, of caring for the Christian religion: "Feed the flock of God which is among you … And when the prince of pastors appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory."¹ "Let a man so regard us as ministers of Christ and dispensers of the mysteries of God."² "But all things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; for indeed God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself … and he placed in us the word of reconciliation. We act therefore as ambassadors for Christ, as though God were exhorting through us. We beseech you for Christ: be reconciled to God."³

2. The Apostles, with metaphorical expressions, describe the Church as the house of God, the bride of Christ, the body of Christ. The Church is the house of God built upon "the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone"⁴, i. e., with Christ as leader the Church contains all the servants of God and, together with them, exercises the true worship of God. The Church is the bride of Christ,⁵ with whom the Redeemer lives inseparably and begets souls for heaven through the exercise of the true religion. The Church is the mystical body of Christ⁶ whose head is the Lord,⁷ "from whom the whole body, being compacted and joined together through every joint of ministration, according to the working in the measure of each single member, makes the increase of the body for the building up of itself in charity"⁸ i. e., Christ is the head of the Church; the faithful are the members, the ecclesiastical ministries are the joints between the head and the members, in such a way that through the ministers of the Church the benefits of religion and of the redemption of Jesus Christ are poured into each of the faithful. And thus the head and the members are organically united into the one living body of Christ, "compacted and joined together," through the ministry of the Church.

The Fathers and ecclesiastical writers teach with one voice that the Church preserves and dispenses the Christian religion in the name and by the command of Christ. Augustine: “Nor … has [Christ] ceased to baptize: but He still does this… Let Peter baptize, it is He [Christ] who baptizes; let Paul baptize, it is He who baptizes; let Judas baptize, it is He who baptizes.”¹ Chrysostom: “The Father sent the Son, who was to exhort in His name and to undertake the office of an embassy among the human race: but since He departed slain, we have succeeded to that embassy, and we exhort you in the name both of Him and of the Father. So great indeed is the worth of the human race in His sight, that He gave even the Son, and that knowing He would be slain, and for your sake made us apostles … For He exhorts not only through His own Son, but also through us, who have succeeded to His office.”²

Therefore the Church “continues the offices of the Savior for all time: the religion which He willed to be, as it were, incorporated in her, she alone presents to the human race complete in every respect.”³ Indeed, the Church in the concrete and the Christian religion are the same. In the Church Christ Himself is perpetually present to men and renders the work of His redemption perennial and everlasting. He therefore who is joined to the Church is joined to Christ, and indeed immediately; but he who separates himself from the Church is in no way joined to Christ, nor has he any part with Him. From this the remote end of the Church is also easily understood.