by Joe Cady
The phrase “four marks of the Church” might not be something you’ve heard much before, but if you’ve gone to mass more than a handful of times in your life, you’re probably actually very familiar with them. We hear them every time we recite the Creed and profess our faith in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic” Church. These four words have been used from the earliest days as a way to describe the nature of the Church founded by Jesus Christ. In this article, we’re going to take a look at each of these words and unpack what they communicate about who we are as a people of God. The first thing to recognize is that these are descriptive words, not titles. For, example, while we are used to hearing the Church described as “Catholic” with a capital “C” (as a name for the Church), in the Creed (as we’ll see), the word “catholic” is used as a way of describing the Church and the scope of its reach and mission. So, let’s take a look at these one at a time:
The Church is ONE.
The mission of Jesus Christ is a work of worldwide restoration of union with God and communion among humanity. As we hear as a part of the Eucharistic prayer during mass, from age to age, God has been seeking to gather a people to himself. Our salvation is communal in nature. While the Gospel and the saving work of Jesus is deeply personal, it’s never individualistic. God sent his Son into the world to gather all people together as one, healing the wounds of sin and division. From the beginning, Jesus desired for his Church to be one - in John 17, he prays to his Father saying, “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (Jn 17:21-21). God’s desire has always been that his people would be united as one flock, with one shepherd. But notice Jesus’ reason for praying for this unity: “so that the world might believe that you sent me.” Unity within the Church is necessarily connected to the mission of the Church. When we, as Christians, aren’t united with one another, the mission suffers. The reality is that, through a number of historical factors and failures of the people of God, there is a great deal of disunity within Christianity, both in terms of the many different denominations and even within the Church itself. And the Second Vatican Council recognized that this reality is “a scandal to the world” and “militates against the spread of the Gospel.” The mission of the Church is to make disciples of all nations, helping all people come to experience the joy and goodness of new life in Christ. But when we spend so much time and energy fighting among ourselves, we are distracted from the mission, and the very credibility of the Gospel we proclaim suffers. Christian disunity is obviously a huge topic with a number of contributing factors, and it doesn’t lend itself to any easy solutions. But the more we can work to overcome divisions the more effectively we can carry out the great commission of Jesus. At the end of the day, we must constantly remind ourselves that we are in fact one, united in one faith, one Spirit, and one baptism, with one Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must always make our aim these words of St. Paul, “If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing” (Phil 2:1-2). Unity doesn’t mean uniformity. We are called to be united is purpose and mission, but that doesn’t mean that we all have to be identical. The call to holiness and mission is universal, but the paths to take are many. Diversity is not the same as
disunity. Our goal should be to balance the personal vocation of each of our lives with the universal mission of the Church.
The Church is HOLY.
If we’re honest, this might be the most difficult “mark” of the Church to accept. When we look at the history of the Church, especially the series of scandals brough to our attention over the last several decades, how could we possibly describe the Church as “holy”? This is a valid and fair question. We must acknowledge the fact that we are a Church of sinners, be honest about and deeply contrite for our grave offenses against God and neighbor, and recognize that all of us are constantly in need of conversion. And yet, the Church can still rightly be called holy. Why? Because it is Christ’s Church, as we are a body united to him who is most holy. Jesus came to save mankind from sin and give us a new birth in holiness as children of God. Christ is the fountainhead of all grace and holiness, and when we are drawn into union with him, we too have access to this holiness which overflows from the head to the rest of the body. The Church has been established by Christ to be the vehicle of God’s grace, and through the sacramental life of the Church, this grace continues to transform lives in holiness. However, this does not mean that Christians do not sin, or that the Church is always perfect. Rather it points to Christ’s power to use even fallible human beings to bring about his plan of redemption. The Church is Holy because it has been set apart by God for the unique mission of transmitting divine life into the people of God, thereby building up the body of Christ in holiness. The holiness that comes from Christ is a gift, but it is a gift that must be responded to. Because we have been made holy by Christ, there is obligation upon is to “live in a manner worthy of the call we have received.” Because the Church has been made holy, the Church must always seek to live in holiness, to allow the grace of God to daily transform us and conform our lives to the way of the Gospel. We call the Church holy not as a matter of pride or arrogance, but in the humble acknowledgement of the gift of God’s mercy and in recognition of our grave responsibility to conform our lives to the humble, self-giving love that we find in Christ – who is the model of all holiness.
The Church is CATHOLIC.
Again, we’re used to using “Catholic” as a title for the Church, but in the creed, catholic is used as an adjective. The word Catholic means “universal”, or as the dictionary defines it, “all-embracing” – and that is precisely the sense in which it is used in the Creed. Calling the Church “catholic” acknowledges the fact that Christ’s death and resurrection (and the fruits of it extended throughout history by the Church) is meant for all people. Everyone is invited to the feast; all are called to participate in the newness of life that Christ brings. The good news of the Gospel isn’t just good news for some people, but for everyone. Through Jesus Christ, who in his incarnation has united himself with every human being, all humanity has access to the Father. When Jesus was first born, angels appeared in the sky and announced “good news of great joy” – and this news is for everyone. This is all part of what makes the Church missionary in nature. Because the Gospel of Jesus is universal in its reach, we as a Church must always be oriented outward, seeking to bring Jesus to all the ends of the earth, so that the light of Christ might fill whatever darkness might still be present in God’s creation.
The Church is APOSTOLIC.
The Church is “apostolic” in two senses: on the one hand, the Church is apostolic because it has been built upon the foundation of the Apostles. Prior to his death and resurrection, Jesus was
preparing the twelve to be a continuation of his saving work and mission in the world. He told them, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Therefore, the Church (from the apostles down to the pope and bishops of today) exists to continue to make present the saving power of Christ, and to help all people encounter Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. The second sense in which the Church is apostolic is related to the meaning of the word itself. “Apostle” means “one who is sent.” Therefore, when we call the Church apostolic, we are acknowledging that the Church is necessarily sent forth. The Church is missionary by nature, always called to bring the Gospel outward into the world. The Church is not an exclusive club, meant to retreat from the cares and concerns of the world. Rather, the Church is meant to be salt and light in the world, to go forth as an instrument of transformation and restoration. Therefore, the Church, built upon the original Apostles, is commissioned by Christ to be a continuing presence of Jesus’ saving power in the world. When we forget the fact that we are an apostolic and missionary Church, we lose sight of the very reason for the Church’s existence – to make disciples of all nations.
This is who we are as a Church. Therefore, let us continue to pray and work for greater unity among the body of Christ, let us make holiness our aim and constantly purify our lives from anything contrary to the Gospel, let us remember always that the Gospel is for everyone and commit ourselves to be a living invitation to know and follow Jesus, and let us never forget the missionary heart of Christianity, so that through our lives others might encounter Christ and experience life in the fullest through him.