h He could save all those who lived before He did; but how were they
to be saved who should live after Him, down to the end of the world? How
was His grace to be given to them? How were they to know of Him, or of
what He taught? All this was to be accomplished by His Church.

114 Q. Which are the means instituted by Our Lord to enable men at all
times to share in the fruits of the Redemption?
A. The means instituted by Our Lord to enable men at all times to share
in the fruits of the Redemption are the Church and the Sacraments.

Our Lord instituted the Church to carry on the work He Himself was doing
upon the earth--teaching the ignorant, visiting the sick, helping the
poor, forgiving sins, etc. He commanded all men to hear the Church
teaching, just as they would hear Himself. But suppose some persons
should establish a false Church and claim that it was the true Church of
Our Lord, how could people know the true Church from false churches?
When a man invents anything to be sold, what does he do that people may
know the true article--say a pen? Why, he puts his trademark upon it.
Now the trademark is a certain sign which shows that the article bearing
it is the genuine article; and if others use the trademark on imitation
articles, they are liable to be punished by law. Now Our Lord did the
same. He gave His Church four marks or characteristics to distinguish it
from all false churches. He said, "My Church will be one; it will be
holy; it will be catholic; it will be apostolic; and if any church has
not these four marks, you may be sure it is not My Church." Some false
church may seem to have one or two, but never all the marks; so when you
find even one of the marks wanting, you will know it is not the true
Church established by Christ. Therefore, all the religions that claim to
be the true religion cannot be so. If one man says a thing is white and
another says it is black, or if one says a thing is true and another
says it is false, they cannot both be right. Only one can be right, and
if we wish to know the truth we have to find out which one it is. So
when one religion says a thing is true and another religion says the
same thing is false, one of them must be wrong, and it is our duty to
find out the one that is right. Therefore, of all the religions claiming
to be the true religion of Our Lord, only one can be telling the truth,
and that one is the religion or Church that can show the four given
marks. The Roman