The Rock of the Church

Dear Friends,
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My ability to quote chapter and verse from the bible is limited, but I’ve always remembered this short verse from today’s gospel: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church.” This verse was firmly planted in my mind at an early age in the same way other historical facts take root in a young person’s mind. My understanding of the verse was not deeply theological or spiritual in my early life, but I knew it meant that Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church.


I often turn to The Catechism of the Catholic Church for greater understanding, and I love what Paragraph 748 of The Catechism ends with, “The church has no other light than Christ’s; according to a favorite image of the Church Fathers, the Church is like the moon, all its light reflected from the sun.” As the Catechism often does, it helped my understanding by tapping my imagination. To see the light of Christ reflected by the Church is a beautiful image.


The Church provides the introduction and the infinite path to grow in our relationship with Christ. In 2006, Benedict XVI spoke to the youth in Krakow. He encouraged them to meditate on the themes of building their life on a foundation of rock and not to be swayed by the shifting sands of their own worldview. This message of encouragement from Benedict XVI is applicable across time: “There is only one rock on which it is worthwhile to place everything. This rock is the one to whom Christ said: You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my Church (Mt 16:18).”


The worldwide Catholic Church has many beautiful church buildings (including our own Padre Serra), but the Church is not our beautiful buildings; it is the people who gather to encounter Jesus in our Catholic faith. We are the Church, and Christ calls us to reflect his light on the world around us. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church has assembled a
rich body of work that authoritatively proclaims Christ’s teachings.

To be Catholic is to be part of the body of Christ. As members of
the body of Christ, we are each called to bring the light of Christ to
the world.
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Siempre Adelante,

Manuel Leon
Business Manager 

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