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THE CHURCH

Foretold in OT

• Tobias 13:11-12 "Jerusalem, city of God, the Lord hath chastised thee for the works of thy hands. Give glory to the Lord for thy good things, and bless the God eternal that he may rebuild his tabernacle in thee, and may call back all the captives to thee, and thou mayst rejoice for ever and ever."(The Holy City Jerusalem and the Holy Tabernacle are symbols of the Church of God that He will rebuild.)
• Isaias 2:2-3 "And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go, and say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall come forth from Sion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."(The Holy Mountain of the Holy House of the Lord and Holy House of the God are symbols of the Church of God.)
• Osee 2:19 "And I will espouse thee to me for ever: and I will espouse thee to me in justice, and judgment, and in mercy, and in commiserations."(This relates to the happy espousals of Christ with his church: which shall never be dissolved.)
• Micheas 4:1-2 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared in the top of the mountains, and high above the hills: and people shall flow to it. And many nations shall come in haste, and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob: and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth out of Sion, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem."

Called Church of God and the Pillar and Foundation of Truth

• 1 Saint Timothy 3:15 "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground[foundation] of the truth."

Founded by Christ

• Saint Matthew 16:18 "And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
• Saint Matthew 28:19 "Going therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."(Baptism makes anyone automatically a member of the Catholic Church. One only ceases to be a member of the Church, when after the age of reason, rejects the Most Holy Roman Catholic Church, the Mystical Body of Christ.)
• Saint Mark 16:15 "And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature."(After being baptized, and after the age of reason, accepting all the doctrines of the Catholic Church, one maintains his membership in the Church. Rejecting even one doctrine of the Church or embracing a corrupted one, one cuts oneself off of the Catholic Church.)

Is said to have five different foundations

• Saint Matthew 16:18 "And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
• 1 Corinthians 3:11 "For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid: which is Christ Jesus."
• Ephesians 2:20 "Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone"
• 1 Saint Peter 2:5 "Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
• Apocalypse 21:14 "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations: And in them, the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb"

Is Body of Christ

• Rom 12:4-5 "For as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ; and every one members one of another"
• 1 Corinthians 12:12 "For as the body is one and hath many members; and all the members of the body, whereas they are many, yet are one body: So also is Christ."
• Ephesians 1:22-23 "And he hath subjected all things under his feet and hath made him head over all the church, Which is his body and the fulness of him who is filled all in all."
• Ephesians 5:23 "Because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. He is the saviour of his body."
• Colossians 1:18 "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may hold the primacy"

Christ is head of Church

• Ephesians 1:22 "And he hath subjected all things under his feet and hath made him head over all the church"
• Ephesians 5:23 "Because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. He is the saviour of his body."
• Colossians 1:18 "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may hold the primacy"

Purchased by Christ's blood

• Acts 20:28 "Take heed to yourselves and to the whole flock, wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops, to rule the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood."
• Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church and delivered himself up for it"
• Hebrews 9:12 "Neither by the blood of goats or of calves, but by his own blood, entered once into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption."

Cannot apostatize or be destroyed

• Saint Matthew 16:18 "And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
• Saint Matthew 28:20 "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."

Is visible

• Saint Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid."
• Mark 4:30-32 "And he said: To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or to what parable shall we compare it? It is as a grain of mustard seed: which when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that are in the earth: And when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so that the birds of the air may dwell under the shadow thereof."
• Ephesians 2:20-21 "Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone: In whom all the building, being framed together, groweth up into an holy temple in the Lord."

Is infallible

• Saint Matthew 16:19 "And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven."
• Saint Matthew 28:20 "...And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."
• Saint Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall he condemned."(One must believe in all of the infallible doctrines of the Catholic Church to maintain membership in it.)
• Saint Luke 10:16 "He that heareth you heareth me: and he that despiseth you despiseth me: and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me."(He who hears the successors of the apostles hears Jesus.)
• 1 Saint Timothy 3:15 "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."(The Church is the source of truth, the Mother of the Bible and is its Holy Interpreter.)

Authority of the Church

• Saint Matthew 16:19 "And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven."
• Saint Matthew 18:18 "Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven."
• Saint John 20:21-23 "He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you."

Members to be holy

• 1 Corinthians 1:2 "To the church of God that is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that invoke the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place of theirs and ours."
• Colossians 3:12 "Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience"

Growth of the Church

• Acts 2:41
"And they were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles and in the communication of the breaking of bread and in prayers."(The "breaking of the bread" is another name for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.)
• Acts 2:47
"Praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord increased daily together such as should be saved."
• Acts 5:14
"And the multitude of men and women who believed in the Lord was more increased"
• Acts 6:7
"And the word of the Lord increased: and the number of the disciples was multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly. A great multitude also of the priests obeyed the faith."
• Acts 11:24
"For he was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. And a great multitude was added to the Lord."

Has good and bad members

• Saint Matthew 22:10 "And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good: and the marriage was filled with guests."
• Saint Matthew 13:27-30 "And the servants of the good man of the house coming said to him[Jesus]. Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then hath it cockle? And he said to them: An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up? And he said: No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn. (Here Jesus is telling us to let the evil doers grow with the good until the harvest giving them a chance to repent before the harvest time.)

APOSTLES

Apostles are those who are sent

• Saint Matthew 28:19 "Going therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."
• Saint Mark 6:7 "And he called the twelve; and began to send them two and two, and gave them power over unclean spirits."
• Saint Mark 16:15 "And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature."
• Saint Luke 24:47 "And that penance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, unto all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."
• Saint John 4:38 "I have sent you to reap that in which you did not labour. Others have laboured: and you have entered into their labours."
• Saint John 17:18 "As thou hast sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world."
• Saint John 20:21 "He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you."

Called by Christ

• Saint Matthew 10:2-4 "And the names of the twelve Apostles are these: The first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him."
• Saint Mark 3:13-19 "And going up into a mountain, he called unto him whom he would himself: and they came to him. And he made that twelve should be with him, and that he might send them to preach. And he gave them power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils. And to Simon he gave the name Peter: And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he named them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder. And Andrew and Philip, and Bartholomew and Matthew, and Thomas and James of Alpheus, and Thaddeus and Simon the Cananean: And Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him."
• Saint Luke 6:12-16 "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray: and he passed the whole night in the prayer of God. And when day was come, he called unto him his disciples: and he chose twelve of them (whom also he named apostles): Simon, whom he surnamed Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon who is called Zelotes, And Jude the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who was the traitor.
• Acts 1:13 "And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James of Alpheus and Simon Zelotes and Jude the brother of James."

Holy Spirit poured out on apostles

• Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth."
• Acts 2:3-4 "And there appeared to them parted tongues, as it were of fire: and it sat upon every one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost: and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak."

Apostles are witnesses to Christ

• Saint Luke 24:48 "And you are witnesses of these things."
• Saint John 15:27 "And you shall give testimony, because you are with me from the beginning."
• Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth."
• Acts 1:21-22 "Wherefore of these men who have companied with us, all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, until the day wherein he was taken up from us, one of these must be made a witness with us of his resurrection."
• Acts 2:32 "This Jesus hath God raised again, whereof all we are witnesses."
• Acts 3:15 "But the author of life you killed, whom God hath raised from the dead: of which we are witnesses."
• Acts 4:33 "And with great power did the Apostles give testimony of the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord: and great grace was in them all."
• Acts 5:32 "And we are witnesses of these things: and the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to all that obey him."
• Acts 10:39 "And we are witnesses of all things that he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem: whom they killed, hanging him upon a tree."
• Acts 13:31 "Who was seen for many days by them who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who to this present are his witnesses to the people."
• Acts 22:15 "For thou shalt be his witness to all men of those things which thou hast seen and heard."

Apostles shall judge the world

• Saint Matthew 19:28 "And Jesus said to them: Amen I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
• Saint Luke 22:30 "That you may eat and drink at my table, in my kingdom: and may sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
• 1 Corinthians 6:2 "Know you not that the saints shall judge this world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?"
• Apocalypse 20:4 "And I saw seats. And they sat upon them: and judgment was given unto them. And the souls of them that were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God and who had not adored the beast nor his image nor received his character on their foreheads or in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

Church built on apostles

• Saint Matthew 16:18 "And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
• Ephesians 2:20 "Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone"
• Apocalypse 21:14 "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations: And in them, the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb"

THE POPE

Primacy given to Peter

Saint Paul called to be an apostle

Paul apostle of Gentiles

• Acts 9:15 "And the Lord said to him: Go thy way: for this man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel."
• Ephesians 3:1-2 "For this cause, I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for you Gentiles: If yet you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me towards you"
• Romans 11:13 "For I say to you, Gentiles: As long indeed as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I will honour my ministry"
• Galatians 2:8 "For he who wrought in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision wrought in me also among the Gentiles."
• 1 Saint Timothy 2:7 "Whereunto I am appointed a preacher and an apostle (I say the truth, I lie not), a doctor of the Gentiles in faith and truth."

Functions of apostles

• Acts 2:42 "And they were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles and in the communication of the breaking of bread and in prayers."(The Apostles give us a perfect example. We should persever in True Doctrine and assist at the "Breaking of Bread", the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.)
• Acts 4:35 "And laid it down before the feet of the apostles. And distribution was made to every one, according as he had need."
• Acts 6:2-3 "Then the twelve, calling together the multitude of the disciples, said: It is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business."
• Acts 15:6 "And the apostles and ancients assembled to consider of this matter."(The apostles and their successors gather together to teach, govern, and santify the church, and to deal with issues concerning the Church.)
• 1 Corinthians 3:9 "For we are God's coadjutors. You are God's husbandry: you are God's building."
• 1 Corinthians 4:1 "Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God"
• 1 Corinthians 15:1 "Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received and wherein you stand."
• 2 Corinthians 5:20 "For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us, for Christ, we beseech you, be reconciled to God."