How do I know that the Catholic Church is the one true Church?

This question often presents itself in one way or another, whether it’s through our own musings, from a child, or from that cousin. The answer to this question is of the utmost importance. So how do we know? In a nutshell, the answer is this: history. Allow me to explain.

First, we need to answer a different question, “Did Jesus found a Church?” Without a doubt, He did, as we read in the Gospel of Matthew, “I call you Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18, emphasis added). What, then, was the structure of the church that Jesus founded? Here, we need to speak about Peter. But, what is it about Peter that is so important? Let’s hear from the mouth of Jesus himself, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” In being given the keys to the kingdom of heaven, Peter is given authority in the Church. 

A little later on in Matthew we see that the power to bind and loose, given individually to Peter, is given to the other apostles as well (Matthew 18:18).  You might be wondering, “Okay, but what is so important about the apostles and why were they given this authority?  And, by the way, you still haven’t answered the initial question!” Rest assured, I’m getting there, but this preliminary information is important to know to understand the answer properly.

The apostles, prior to becoming such, were disciples of Jesus. At one point during His ministry, Jesus called His disciples to Himself and chose 12 of them specifically, calling them “apostles” (which means “sent”) (Matthew 10:1-4). The number 12 here is significant. Any observant Jew would have certainly known that the nation of Israel, which was the chosen people of God, was composed of 12 tribes, and each tribe had as its “patriarch” one of the 12 sons of Jacob (who was the grandson of Abraham). In choosing 12 apostles, then, Jesus is founding a new Israel, a new people of God.

Fast forward until after Christ’s Resurrection. Peter had fallen by denying Jesus three times.  Encountering Peter on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus asks him three times, “Peter, do you love me?” When Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,” Jesus says, “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15-17). Hence, Peter is given the ministry tending the flock of Jesus, which is His Church.

Then, in the Acts of the Apostles, we find that Peter and the other apostles exercise authority over the Church. For example, after Jesus ascended into heaven, it became apparent that a successor to Judas was needed, and it was Peter who headed up the operation (Acts 1:15-26). Furthermore, when a major question needed to be addressed in the Church, it was the apostles who convened to answer the question in a definitive matter (and, once again, Peter was at the head; Acts 15:1-12).

The apostles, however, being mortal needed to pass on their authority to others and this they did. The clearest examples of this are Timothy and Titus, whom Paul, an apostle, ordained. Likewise, these successors were mortal and so had to ordain successors before they died. These successors to the apostles are known as bishops. To this end, we have proof from St. Irenaeus of Lyons in the second century (I would provide the quotation, but it’s too long for this article; see Against Heresies, Book III, ch. 3). And yes, the successors of the apostles do include our own bishop, Bishop Kagan.

Finally, we know that the Catholic Church is the one true Church because the Catholic Church’s teachings have remained untarnished and unchanged since the very beginning. Everything the Church believes was believed by the early Church (and we have testimony to this fact both from Scripture and from the writings of Christians who came shortly after the apostolic period). Name any teaching—the Eucharist, papal primacy, confession—it’s all there in the early Church. Therefore, I say with utter confidence that the Catholic Church is the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ.

Fr. Greg Luger is parochial vicar at the Churches of St. Joseph in Williston, St. John the Baptist in Trenton and St. Boniface in Grenora.  If you have a question you were afraid to ask, now is the time to ask it! Simply email your question to [email protected] with the “Question Afraid to Ask” in the subject line.