THE ONE TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.                                                 I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, was Crucified,  and Resurrected.                                                                         I believe in the Holy     Spirit.                                                                                                                 I believe in the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.                                                                          I believe in the resurrection of the body.                                                                                             I believe in life everlasting,    Amen.

CC6 …. Which was the role of the Apostles ?
The Apostles taught and presided in the Community of Jerusalem (Acts, 2: 42 – 43). With great courage they bore witness  to the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus (Acts, 4:33). They spoke and worked miracles in the Name of Jesus (Acts, 5:12, and 5) Guided by the Holy Spirit, they decided in Council, practical norms for the converts *(Acts, 15: 2 – 22).

Although he declares that all Christians are members of the one Body of Christ, St.Paul points out the fundamental role of the Apostles: “Now, you are the Body of Christ, and individual members of it.  And God has appointed in the Church, first the Apostles…”

In Brief:
•    When Christ came to found His Church, He chose twelve men from among His many disciples. He called those he had chosen, Apostles. (Lk. 6:13)
•    As time went by, there developed between Christ and the Twelve, a most intimate relationship, which reached its highest expression during the Last Supper, which He celebrated exclusively with them. (Mt. 26:20)
•    After the Ascension of the Lord, it was from the living voice of the Apostles (not the Bible), that the first disciples received the Faith.  The New Testament had not yet been written.
•    Although the baptized form one body, yet it is the Apostles who occupy the central and fundamental role in the Church founded by Christ (1 Cor. 12: 27 – 28).

The Collaborators of the Apostles
The Apostles, from the very start, besides preaching the Word and presiding over the Communities , were concerned about the transmission of these roles to trustworthy disciples.
Now, a sensible question follows;

In what way was the transmission of roles ensured ?
The Apostles appointed qualified teachers and Guides, entrusting to them the continuation of their mission. In this manner, there began the long and unbroken chain of collaborators first, and of successors afterwards.

The mission of these successors was, to proclaim the Word, to guide the communities and to preside at the Eucharist.

This chain of successors has never been broken throughout twenty centuries. In this way,  there came to take place that specific note of the ONE and ONLY Church founded by Christ Himself: this is better known as THE APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION.    /Cc7
                         



Extracts by kind permission of  HG Mons. Sylvester Magro ofm, Apostolic Nuncio of Benghazi.