RCIA Session 7 – Why the Church Exists – Founded by Christ, Not Invented by Men

Why the Church Exists — Founded by Christ, Not Invented by Men

RCIA – Week 7
This session forms part of a structured introduction to the Catholic Faith used in parish RCIA. It is intended to be read slowly and prayerfully, alongside participation in the life of the Church. This material is offered for formation and reflection. Reception into the Catholic Church always involves personal discernment and parish accompaniment.

Aim of this session

By the end of this session, participants should understand that:

  • the Church is not an optional extra to faith
  • Jesus Christ did not leave behind ideas only, but a visible society
  • the Church is part of God’s plan of revelation
  • authority and structure belong to the Church from the beginning
  • separating Christ from the Church contradicts His own actions

This session answers the question:

If Jesus Christ rose from the dead, what did He establish?

1. Why This Question Matters

After the Resurrection, the question is not:

“What do I think about Jesus?”

It is:

What did Jesus Christ leave behind?

If Jesus Christ:

  • taught publicly
  • acted with divine authority
  • rose from the dead

then it would be unreasonable to suppose that He:

  • left no structure
  • gave no authority
  • provided no means of preserving His teaching

A lasting mission requires a lasting body.

2. Jesus Christ Did Not Write a Book

This is an important starting point.

Jesus Christ:

  • wrote no book
  • left no written manual
  • did not instruct His followers to write immediately

Instead, He:

  • chose apostles
  • formed them over time
  • entrusted them with authority

This tells us something crucial:

The Catholic Faith was entrusted first to persons, not texts.

Books explain faith.
They do not create it.

3. Jesus Christ Chose and Sent Apostles

Jesus Christ did not gather a loose group of admirers.

He:

  • chose specific men
  • gave them authority
  • sent them to teach, govern, and sanctify

He did not say:

“Each decide for yourself.”

He said, in effect:

“You are sent.”

This act of sending is foundational.

Penny Catechism

Q. Did Jesus Christ found the Church?
A. Yes, Jesus Christ founded the Church.

This is not a metaphor.
It is a claim about history.

4. Authority Was Given, Not Claimed

The apostles did not invent their authority.

They received it.

Jesus Christ:

  • taught with authority
  • delegated authority
  • promised divine assistance

This authority was:

  • public
  • identifiable
  • continuous

Without authority:

  • teaching fractures
  • truth becomes opinion
  • unity collapses

Authority does not exist to dominate.
It exists to preserve truth.

5. The Church Is Visible and Organised

From the beginning, the Church was:

  • visible
  • organised
  • united in belief and worship

She had:

  • leaders
  • common teaching
  • common prayer
  • common discipline

This was not added later.
It was present from the start.

A purely invisible Church:

  • cannot teach publicly
  • cannot preserve doctrine
  • cannot administer sacraments

The Church must be visible to fulfil her mission.

6. Why the Church Is Necessary

A common modern idea is:

“I believe in Jesus, but not in the Church.”

This idea would have been incomprehensible to the first believers.

Because:

  • Christ and the Church are not separable
  • His authority is exercised through the Church
  • His teaching is preserved by the Church

The Church is not a barrier to Christ.
She is the means He chose.

Penny Catechism

Q. Why did Jesus Christ found the Church?
A. Jesus Christ founded the Church to teach, govern, sanctify, and save all men.

The Church exists for salvation, not convenience.

7. The Church Is Not a Human Association

The Church is not:

  • a club
  • a pressure group
  • a voluntary society

She is:

A divine society with a human element.

Her members are imperfect.
Her foundation is divine.

This explains:

  • her endurance
  • her unity across centuries
  • her ability to survive persecution and failure

No merely human institution lasts like this.

8. Common Objections Addressed

“Didn’t the Church come later?”

The Church appears immediately after the Resurrection, preaching publicly and acting with authority.

“Isn’t the Church just a power structure?”

Authority existed to safeguard truth before power ever existed.

“Can’t faith exist without the Church?”

Private belief cannot preserve public truth across generations.

9. What Is Being Asked of You Now

At this stage, you are not asked to:

  • agree with everything
  • understand every structure

You are asked to consider this:

If Jesus Christ established a Church, do I have the right to ignore it?

That question matters deeply.

10. Questions for the Week

Reflect quietly during the week:

  • Would I expect God’s revelation to be protected or left to chance?
  • Do I trust private judgment more than truth itself?
  • If the Church was founded by Christ, what does that imply for me?

11. Closing Summary

Jesus Christ did not leave behind an idea.

He founded the Church.

From next week, we will ask:

What kind of Church did He found — and how can we recognise it today?

Optional Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
You did not leave us orphaned.
Give us humility to recognise what You have established
and courage to seek the truth within it.
Amen.