The Work of the Apostles

"What if the Apostles did their job, but those who followed them failed and so the Catholic Church fell away and had to be brought back by others centuries later?" This was an honest question asked of me by someone who was not certain of the Church's divine protection. How did I respond? "That would be a possibility if you believed that Jesus did not promise otherwise, or if you believed He could fail in His promises."

In the gospel of John, Jesus tells the Apostles, "I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide". Do not miss the importance of this statement. Jesus does not say, "I appointed you to go bear fruit and I really, really, really, hope that your fruit will abide". No, He said that He gave them the power both to bear fruit (spread the gospel and establish the Church) and to have that fruit abide (i.e. "to last, endure, or continue").

This means that just as much as Jesus enabled them to bear the fruit in the first place, He also made it certain that this very same fruit would not fade away or die. If it were up to us, the fruit would not have made it past the first century; thank God it is up to Him! This promise of our Lord is a guarantee of the endurance of the Church, and most specifically of the manner in which the Apostles set up the Church. Jesus did not just say that the Church would endure, but that the specific work of the Apostles would endure. It does not guarantee that the Church will always look the same, but that it will continue in the line of the Apostles forever.

This is what we call the perpetuity of the Church. We do not believe in the perpetuity of "some kind" of Church, but of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church (notice that last one: "Apostolic"--that means that it continues building on the very same foundation that was established by the Apostles). The early Church knew and understood this, and that is why they wrote it into the Creed; and also so that we would not forget it. Jesus set up His Church, granted the Apostles the wisdom and authority to structure it after the likeness of Christ our Lord, and now He continues to protect it in all that she does.

This should give each of us confidence that the Church will remain until the end of time. She will grow, as any organism does, but she will still be in the same form as she was at the beginning and can be recognized as the same "person" she was at the beginning, only more mature. Rejoice in the Lord and give Him thanks that He is looking out for us and protecting us, especially in His Church.