This statement must put in its proper context distinction:
a.) Who founded the Church
b.) "who founded
on why the Church is founded?
The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ as part of God's saving plan, prefigured in the Old Testament, but not as a distant and separate entity of his chosen people, but as the culmination of his revelation in Christ.
The Church has come to represent the new people of God, as we express the Second Vatican Council, and the new people of God will not be governed by the old covenant but the new one.
The prophet Isaiah wrote:
"At the end of time, the hill of Yahweh's house will be put on the high mountains and dominate the higher elevations. Iran to see all nations and many people come up to him saying: Come, let us climb the mountain of Yahweh, the God of Jacob's house, to teach us his ways and walk in his paths "
is interesting as a prophet who wrote several centuries before the coming of Christ, referring to the House of God as a place where all nations meet. This reference falls entirely on the Church and we see in the New Testament in the mouth of San Lucas, referring to the feast of Pentecost:
"" They were passing through Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews who came from all nations that under heaven . And among the crowds who came to hear the noise, each one heard them speaking in his own language " (Acts 2, 5-6)
began at Pentecost started the Church and not just against the inhabitants of Jerusalem but against those of all nations.
This foreshadowing of God meet in your home to all nations to walk in his paths gives validity, value and significance to the fact that Christ Church to have wanted to perpetuate his apostles choose to continue their work:
Go, then , and make all nations my disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I'm with you until the end of the world. "(Mt 28, 20)
Twelve tribes, twelve Apostles
The patriarch Jacob, the grandson of Abraham had twelve sons, who are the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen 29).
On these twelve tribes formed the people of God, and these twelve tribes of Israel lived history, the entrance to the land of Canaan, the period of the Judges, the choice of kings, the construction of the Temple, invasions and expectation of the Messiah, at which time Christ comes to make all things new (21: 5)
Christ himself came to choose for themselves the new people of God, not governed by the covenant of Abraham and David because the alliance had lost validity (Heb 9, 15) but governed by the New Covenant prefigured by Jeremiah and reaffirmed in the letter to the Hebrews:
"arrive day, "declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and Judah.
the Alliance will not be formed with their forefathers when I took them in hand to take them out of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, although I was the owner, says the Lord "This is the Alliance with the house of Israel after those days, saith the LORD: I will put my law within them, and write it on their hearts; I will be their God and they shall be my people.
is clear as the Lord promised that the new alliance will be his chosen people. But if the twelve tribes which were formed when ancient Israel, who will be the foundation of the new people of God? Knowing clearly that the Church founded by Christ is the new people of God, we know who are the foundation upon which Christ founded his Church.
The Story of the election of the twelve apostles is so important that it is mentioned by three of the four Gospels (Mt 10, 1-4, Mk 3, 13-19, Luke 6, 12-16) Choosing the twelve apostles represent the desire to perpetuate Christ's saving work forever, so much so that promised to be with us every day world (Mt 28, 20)
Why why they were chosen by the apostles?
In the words of Christ:
To be fishers of men, "Jesus said to Simon: - Fear not: from henceforth thou shalt catch men" (Lk 5, 11)
Apostles were not chosen simply to follow Christ and help in the logistics of his ministry. He even admitted that he had called to be fishers of men, and this represented a big responsibility as it meant to rescue the souls of the dark.
To manage the grace of Christ in the sacraments:
"And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to him saying this is my body which is given for you, do this in memory of me "
At the Last Supper Christ instituted the Eucharist and commanded the Apostles to celebrate always " Receive the Holy Spirit to those who forgive their sins, will be freed, and whom they are retained, they are retained "(Jn 20, 22-23)
Christ gave the apostles the task of administering the sacrament of reconciliation.
to faithfully interpret the Word "Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures" (Lk 24, 45)
Interpretation the Word of God was not the free will of any reader. Christ to the apostles delegated the task of understanding the Scriptures and preach (Acts 9, 35)
"Jesus answered them, you have been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but they do not" ( Mt 13, 11)
Apostles were those who could understand the message of Christ and therefore the Magisterium of the Church's mission to serve the Holy Scripture and Apostolic Tradition.
We can recognize today in the Catholic Church the mission of the Apostles of Christ: Evangelization, administration of the sacraments and the Magisterium of the Church.
Church's apostolic dimension
When a person says I believe in Christ but not in the Church is contradicting because Jesus himself did choose the apostles so they could perpetuate his work, and those apostles were the beginning of the Church Catholic. The apostles are the foundation and bedrock of the Church and Catholic something that makes us proud, knowing that every one of our priests be in direct line of an apostle.
There are two very important passages to discover the apostolate of the Church:
"You are God's house. Are rooted in the building whose foundation of the apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus " (Eph 2, 20)
In this passage the Apostle Paul referring to community at Ephesus, called the house of God. But more interesting is that the Christians of Ephesus are considered grounded on the basis of the Apostles. On what basis is founded your church? Is it possible in other Church Apostle know what comes? It is only possible within the Catholic Church.
b.) "The wall of the city rests on twelve bases on which are inscribed the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb"
The Apostle John in Revelation shows us a vision of the new Jerusalem, the wife of Lamb. Is an allusion to the Church, and although it is still a future vision founded on the Apostles. This text gives the lie to those who think that the apostolic church with the twelve apostles died.
The Apostolic Church hierarchy is the hierarchy of the Catholic Church
When you look at how organized the Church in the New Testament we can give that is the same organization that today the Church
| early Church | Church today |
| Bishops | Bishops (the Pope is the Bishop of the Diocese of Rome) and the cardinals are bishops |
| Priests | Priests |
| Deacons | Deacons |
Biblically we can corroborate this division:
Bishops:
"If someone aspires to the office of bishop, no doubt covets a very eminent" (1 Tim 3, 1)
The bishops are those who run the churches local, are instituted by Apostles themselves. The Apostle James the Less was Bishop of Jerusalem (Gal 1, 19)
Priests:
"must be blameless, married once. Well, being in charge of the house of God, must be blameless " (Tit 1, 6.7)
Priests were also chosen by the apostles in every local church who started (Acts 14, 23) and dedicated to bringing Word of God (1 Tim 5, 17)
Deacons:
"Deacons must also be respected and a single word " (1 Tim 3, 8)
Deacons collaborated with the apostles in the administration of the Church in communities.
As we can see, this structure remains today, and even though we see Other names the structure is the same: the Pope is the Bishop of the Diocese of Rome, and cardinals are bishops who have a specific mission to address the problems of the Church. In every city there is a diocese headed by a bishop and priests in different parishes and communities.
We can be happy because the Catholic Church is Apostolic and above all biblical.
Anwar Tapias Lakatta
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