Mike Aquilina and James Papandrea on the Church and Its Continuing Mission

"Have you ever heard someone say that if Jesus returned today, He wouldn't recognize the Church? This sentiment seems to pop up now and then, often on social media, posted by people who revel in finding fault with the Church.

"It's true that in every age of history, Christians have done things that would make Jesus cringe. But to say that He would not recognize the Church is to imply that somewhere along the way the Church went completely off track = that the Church that Jesus founded was meant to be something other than what it is.

"The truth is, Jesus promised that this would never happen. As recorded in Matthew 16:18, Jesus said to His apostles, 'On this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld will not prevail against it.' This is Jesus’ promise that the Church will never go so far astray that it becomes something that it was not meant to be. If the Church did become something Jesus would not recognize, then hell will have won."

In a recent commentary, writers Mike Aquilina and James L. Papandrea reflected on the continuing existence of the Church and its mission.

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