Why a Church?

01The question

Why not just me and Jesus?

You may have heard it, or said it: “I love Jesus. I just don’t need a Church.” It is a fair question. Here is what those first three thousand did.

“And they were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles and in the communication of the breaking of bread and in prayers.”

Teaching. Meals. Prayer. Together. From the very first day.

The Church teaches that Jesus himself began this community.¹ He gave it a shape, beginning with the choice of the Twelve, with Peter as their head.²

Then, on a road outside Damascus, Jesus made the point himself. In one sentence.

02The turn

“Why persecutest thou me?”

A man named Saul is on his way to Damascus with letters from the high priest, to arrest any followers of Jesus he can find.¹⁴ Near the city, a light from heaven flashes around him.¹⁵

“And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Who said: Who art thou, Lord? And he: I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the goad.”

Listen to the words. Not “why are you persecuting my followers.” Me. Hurt them, and you hurt him.

Saul, also called Paul,¹⁷ later wrote to Christians in Corinth: “you are the body of Christ.”³ The Church teaches that Christ “is the head of the body, the Church.”¹⁸

“And if one member suffer any thing, all the members suffer with it: or if one member glory, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ and members of member.”

So what kind of body is it? Every Sunday, Catholics answer in four words.

03The four words

One, holy, catholic, apostolic

In the Creed, the short statement of faith said at Mass, the Church is professed to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic.^20,21

<b>One</b>, because it has one source, one founder and one soul: God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.²²

<b>Holy</b>, because Christ gave himself up for her, to make her holy.²³

<b>Catholic</b>, a word that means “universal”: the Church is sent to the whole human race.^24,25

<b>Apostolic</b>, because it is built on the apostles, and the bishops carry on their mission as their successors.^26,12

The Pope, as Peter’s successor, is “the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity” of the bishops and of all the faithful.¹³

Holy? You may be thinking of the headlines. That is fair. Keep reading.

04The honest part

Holy, and full of sinners

The Church does not claim to be a club of perfect people. It calls itself “at once holy and always in need of purification.”²⁷

“All members of the Church, including her ministers, must acknowledge that they are sinners.” In everyone, “the weeds of sin will still be mixed with the good wheat of the Gospel until the end of time.”²⁷

If you have been hurt by Catholics, that matters. You do not have to pretend otherwise, and you can take all of this slowly. A good priest will want to hear it.

Which brings it back to you, and to whoever first told you about Jesus.

05The ending

No one believes alone

Think of the first person who showed you something of Jesus. A grandparent. A friend. A teacher. A stranger, maybe.

The Catechism puts it simply: “No one can believe alone, just as no one can live alone.” The believer has received faith from others and should hand it on to others.²⁸

That is why the Church calls herself a mother: her faith comes before ours, gives birth to it, and keeps feeding it.²⁹

On Pentecost, three thousand people found they belonged to something bigger than themselves. There is still room.