Any mass of water, such as a dam, lake or ocean, has a source that feeds it. If we see a large dam, we don't often think the source feeding it could be a narrow river stretching and winding for a long distance. In time, the small flow of the river feeds and fills the dam, but it always starts with the source upstream. The dam remains full as long as it is always connected to that life-giving source. Once the source is broken the dam will grow dry and eventually disappear.
In the world, there are about 2.6 billion Christians, with almost 1.4 billion Catholics. However, if we are all Christians, why do we distinguish between Catholics and other denominations? To understand why we distinguish, we have to look at all the bodies of Christianity and trace their rivers back to their source. Only then can we realise where the divisions arose and which remains connected to the original source?
The Catholic Church remains unchanged from the very ground roots of Jesus. Catholicism is not something to boast about as some superior religion. However, we need to recognise that all Christians far and wide who belong to some denomination or no denomination were all once members of the Catholic Church about 500 years ago.
Here is a very high-level (and limited) summary of the history of the Catholic Church:
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| Source: Author's own summary of work from the Catholic World Mission |
So the founders, the teaching, the Bible, baptism, blessings and prayers all have their foundation in the Catholic church. Sadly, some teachings of the Catholic Church have been rejected by break-off denominations over time in favour of worldly views. For example, a legal divorce (essentially a separation of spouses from each other in the eyes of the state) can only be allowed for the physical or material protection of a spouse. However, the sacrament of marriage in the eyes of God can never be broken (something King Henry VIII could not accept as lust was driving him to "substitute" his wife).
The Catholic church traces back historically to Our Lord and the first apostles and so naturally contains the full truth. Of course, Christian denominations who broke off still have parts of this truth but have lost the connection with the main river source. This disconnect sadly closes them to the rich doctrine, traditions and some graces.
These Christian divisions have led to divides between nations, like splitting Ireland into the north (protestants) and the south (Catholics). In South Africa, our history of migrants even accentuates this divide. In the early 1600s, the Dutch and French Calvinists (who had then recently broken off from the Catholic church) left Europe and settled here. The colonisation of the British then meant the church of England held a strong presence and resistance against the Catholic Church. It took Catholic migrants, like simple examples of my great and grandparents from Madeira or my wife's grandfather from South Germany settling here, which led to the spiritual need for the Catholic Church to meet the needs of the new Catholics living in South Africa. Although the Catholic Church is now spread across the entire country you get a sense that suspicion lingers due to the deep historical divides and patterns of migration.
God wants Christianity to be united and not divided. There are faults that have been committed by Christians from all denominations over time (including the Catholic Church). These faults have led to disunity and we need to pray for this unity to be restored and for those hurt to find healing. However, we need to discern carefully what is the human error caused by our fallen nature and what is the error that directly opposes the will of God.
Our Lord started His Church by instructing Peter, "... And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."" (Matthew 16:16-20)
The Catholic Church simply means universal church and if it has stood the test of time of more than 2,000 years then this surely has to be the Church that God instituted while on earth?
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