not be fulfilling His promise to be always with her. All Protestant sects are based upon the false supposition that the Church of Christ has fallen into error and corruption. But according to Christ’s clear promise this can never be. The Church can neither teach nor believe false and corrupt doctrine. The infallible authority of the Church is a fundamental Christian dogma and inseparably connected with the Divinity of Christ.
The necessity of faith. “He that believeth (what the apostles and their successors teach) shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be condemned” (Mark 16, 16).
The necessity of Baptism. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16, 16).
Faith alone will not save, for we must also observe the commandments. Our Lord, therefore, says: “Teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”
The Most Holy Trinity. The Mystery of the Blessed Trinity is most expressly laid down in the words with which holy Baptism is to be administered. Although three Divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, are enumerated, yet it is in their Name, not in their Names that Baptism is to be administered. The word ‘Name’ being used in the singular is intended to signify that the Being to whom it applies is One God, though in Three Persons.
The prophecies were fulfilled by our Lord’s Ascension into heaven: i. That of David: “The Lord said to My Lord: Sit Thou at My right hand till I make Thy enemies Thy footstool” (Ps. 109, 1). 2. Those of our Lord Himself: “Then you shall see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before” (John 6, 63; chapter XXXIV), and: “Hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power of God, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Mat. 26, 64; chapter LXXI).
Holy Scripture is not the only source of faith. St. John says in so many words, that all that Jesus did is not contained in the Gospels: and still less do they contain all that He said. During the forty days that passed between His Resurrection and His Ascension our Lord spoke to His apostles about the kingdom of God, but only a small fraction of what He said on these occasions is contained in Holy Scripture. This shows us that the entire Divine revelation through Jesus Christ is only partially contained in the Bible.
Application. Heaven is our eternal home. There is a place prepared for you there, where you can be for ever with God. Whenever you say: “Our Father who art in heaven”, long ardently for eternal happiness, and make a firm resolution to perform all your duties on earth faithfully, and to avoid sin, so that you may be worthy of heaven.
