Essay Sample: The Church as One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic

All Catholics in the Apostles Creed profess the Church to be one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic.  Any one of these indispensable qualities cannot stand on its own. They are inseparably connected, and all equally essential to the Church and Her mission.  Only faith can recognize that these qualities are the sole of the Church of Christ.

The Church is one.  It is unified as one by charity above all, which binds it in a close-knit, immaculate harmony. But the visible bonds of the Church are equally important in the wholeness of the Church.  Firstly, by the profession received from the Apostles of one great faith. Secondly, by the communal celebration of divine adoration, particularly of the sacraments. Thirdly, by the Apostolic succession through the sacrament of Holy Orders, which maintains the fraternal bond of charity among God's followers.  The unity of such a power as our great church is such that it transcends that of any humans, therefore we must place all trust in God's love for us, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Church is Holy.  As a matter of faith, the Church is held to be unfailingly holy.  The founder of this beautiful Church, Jesus Christ, is acknowledged as ‘alone holy’.  He, with the Holy Spirit, gave Himself up for the Church and joined her to Himself, bestowing unto her the gift of the Holy Spirit for her to become sanctifyed.1 The earthly Church is already endowed with real sanctity, though imperfect.  In her members, perfect holiness is still to be acquired, but all are called by the Lord to strive for that perfection of sanctity.

The Church is Catholic.  The word ‘catholic’, means ‘universal’, or ‘according to the totality’.  The Church is Catholic in a twofold sense.  First, because Christ is present in her, and where there is Christ, there is the Catholic Church. In her resides the wholeness of Christ's body united to her head, thereby receiving the fullness of His salvation.  In this sense, the Church was Catholic on the day of Pentecost and will always be so until the second coming. Second, she is catholic because she has been sent forward by Christ on a mission to the whole of humanity.  All are called on this mission as one, to be spread over the world and to all ages so that the design of God’s will may be pleased.  He has ordered that all His children who were strewn should finally be gathered as one.  In these ways the Church is truly Catholic.

The Church is Apostolic.  The apostasy of the Church is, as the word suggests, in three keyways founded on the apostles.  Firstly, she was and is built on the foundation laid down by the Apostles, which was given to them by Our Lord Jesus.  Secondly, the Church, with the careful guidance of the Holy Spirit, hands on the teachings of her first pioneers so that the teaching may never die.  Thirdly, through these successors the Church and her faithful continue to be taught, sanctified, and guided by the Apostles until Christs return. 

In her deepest and truest form, the Church is one, holy catholic, and apostolic. Though they are perfectly liked together, each is different. But all provide load bearing support for the faith that they are upholding.  The Church does not hold these traits of Her own power, it is Christ who, through the Holy Spirit, makes the Church in this fashion, and calls her to realize each of them.