"The Barque of Peter"

JMJ. Just what makes a Catholic a Catholic? I'll give you a few moments to think about that question. It's not rhetorical, it's totally serious, and at the very basis of all that I will talk about in this entry. Before we get into Scripture, though, let's look at a little history. History is factual.
Christ formed one church two thousand years ago. Like Christ who was visible and tangible, so was that church visible and tangible. He called twelve men to whom He gave all authority on heaven and earth. They in turn ordained others to take their places. The teachings of that holy church are clearly Catholic. One has only to read the writings of the Early Church Fathers to see that those teachings are not remotely Protestant.


A thousand years later, the Orthodox (Eastern) church left the sure protection of the Roman Pontiff. Since that unhappy incident there has been a breaking-away of many nationalistic Orthodox Churches, each with its own governing patriarch. Didn't Jesus will that we be one? Hmmm. Five hundred years later the Roman (Western) church was in need of a house-cleaning. Instead, the Protestant reformers also revolted against the authority of Peter. As a result, we now have some 30,000 separate Protestant denominations--all teaching the truth and all speaking with the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Hmmm. Neat trick, eh?


Which brings me to St. Matthew, specifically Matthew 16: 13-19. The passage is longish so I'll trust you to read it later. Briefly, Jesus asks His disciples who the people think He is. The answers are four-- John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Think about how amazing this is. Four different interpretations of the sayings and actions of a Man whom they saw face to face for three years! And two thousand years later people pretend to tell us the truth of the Scriptures without an infallible authority.

But Christ left us one. He knew there would be error. The only one of the twelve to declare correctly was Simon. "Blessed are you, Simon bar Jona! For flesh and blood [your own guesses] has not revealed this to you but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you you are Peter, [Kepha] and on this rock I will build my church and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give to 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."

This seems fairly innocuous but only until you consider that "Rock" is an appellation used in the Old Testament exclusively in reference to God! One human, and one human alone, is identified so closely with God. Later, Jesus is required to pay the Temple tax. He directs Simon to cast for a fish and to take the shekel he will find and pay the tax for both Jesus and himself. Even later, following His resurrection, He Who had described Himself as the Good Shepherd, commanded Peter to feed His sheep. The shepherd's crook had been passed.

No one else in either Testament had been so closely associated with God and the duties of a regent. To answer our initial question then--a Catholic is one who has given himself in total and trusting submission to the living Word of God and refuses to leave the sure protection of the Church's infallible teaching. One who denies the authority of the Vicar of Christ ultimately denies the Saviour Himself. It can't get any simpler than that. Amen.