One of the most important articles of faith in the Catholic religion is the doctrine that Jesus Christ in the course of His lifetime on earth established a Church - that is, a visible organization which was to continue His work of bringing men to salvation until the end of time. This Church was to be an extension of Christ's own life and activities down through the ages. The account of Our Lord's life contained in the Gospel clearly indicates that He founded such an organization. He often spoke of it; He chose the apostles and disciples to be the first members of the Church; as time went on He made it clear that in the Church there were to be rulers who would teach, sanctify and govern the others; He made the apostles the first superiors of the Church, and gave them the power they needed for their office; He indicated that this power was to continue in their successors until the end of the world. As the chief of the apostles and the head of the Church, Christ chose Simon Peter. That Peter was to be the ruler of all the faithful, Christ frequently indicated, speaking of him as the foundationstone of the Church (Matthew 16:18), giving him the commission to feed His lambs and His sheep - that is, the members of the Church (John 21:17) - saying to him: "I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 16:19). He gave Peter supervision over the other apostles, saying: "When once thou hast turned again, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32).
Such was the Church as Christ founded it; and such it continues to be today. The Catholic Church has remained the Church of Christ for more than nineteen centuries. It is ruled by the Pope, the successor of St. Peter and by the bishops, the successors of the other apostles. They exercise their authority in the name of Christ. To them He says, as He said to the apostles: "He who hears you hears me" (Luke 10:16). Whatever may be their personal abilities or disabilities, their perfections or imperfections, they teach and rule the faithful with power that comes to them from Our Lord Himself. And the members of the Church, clerical, religious and lay, are obliged to show them respect and obedience and to cooperate with their efforts toward the spread of the kingdom of Christ.
We call that portion of the Church that is governed by a bishop a diocese. The place from which the bishop teaches and rules is called a see - for example, the see of New York, the see of Boston. The see of the Pope in Rome, because of his special dignity and authority, is called the Holy See. Every diocese is divided into parishes, and the priest in charge is called the pastor or parish priest. The priests who aid him are called assistants or curates.
If the Church were a merely human organization, it could not have survived for nineteen hundred years. But the Church is a divine organization founded by the Son of God, receiving its life from the Holy Ghost, who on Pentecost came down upon the apostles, the first bishops, to give them light and strength, and to dwell in the Church, as its soul, until the end of time. As members of the Church we all share in this divine life.
These thoughts should urge us to be faithful to our obligations as Catholics. We should unhesitatingly accept the teachings of the Church, make use of the means of holiness the Church provides, and obey all the Church's laws, with the conviction that Christ Himself is teaching, sanctifying and ruling us through His representatives, the superiors of the Church. Above all, we should always be loyal to the Pope, the Vicar, or earthly representative, of Jesus Christ.
RESOLUTION: Resolve to say a special prayer at Sunday Mass and after Holy Communion for the Papacy and for the freedom and exaltation of the Church.