I take literally the Lord’s command to Paul: "Speak out, do not be afraid, and refuse to be silenced, for I am with you…" (Acts 18:9-10). This command has become my trademark. It has become my inspiration. It has become my driving force. And it will continue to affect my every word and action from here until the hour of my death. On this planet, a planet that has become polluted with heresies, perversions, violence, and evil, I can see the light of Christ’s Church shining through the darkness. Even in the darkest and seemingly most hopeless times, it is a beacon to the lost, a home and shelter to the faithful, and a guide to the needy. For these reasons it is rightfully said that the Church is the pillar and foundation of the Truth. Now more than ever it is apparent that Christ’s promise to Peter is perpetual and everlasting: the gates of Hades shall not prevail against the Church.

Our one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church is Christ’s ambassador on this Earth. It is glorious, not having spot of wrinkle or any such thing, but is without blemish. It is not built upon wood, hay, or straw, but upon that foundation which is already laid, that of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. It is built upon Peter, that firm and faithful rock, the preeminent apostle, the shepherd of Christ’s flock, the mouth of the apostles, the servant of the servants of God, who holds the keys to the kingdom of Heaven and who presides over the whole Church. It is built upon the twelve apostles, the guardians of the Christian Faith, the judges of the twelve thrones, who, when united, have the ability to bind and loose what is bound and loosed in Heaven. Our Church is built upon these things, and with these things it is indestructible, with these it abides.

Our Church is the Body of Jesus Christ. If the foot of this body is hurt, the body itself becomes injured. If the eye of this body is honored, the body itself rejoices with it. The people of the Universe know the unity of the Father and Son through the Unity of the Church. The Church echoes and repeatedly declares the cardinals of the Christian Faith: One Body, One Spirit, One Hope, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God and Father of all. Does anyone dare to challenge the unity of the Church? Does any person imperil the harmony of Christ’s Body? For the Church continues steadfastly in the doctrine of the Apostles and of our Lord Jesus Christ, and all who believe have not one, but all things in common. We are not united simply by our belief in the Holy Trinity, but by the doctrine we teach and follow, and by the Truth to which the Holy Spirit leads us. This, brothers and sisters, is the paramount sign of Christ’s Church.

Who am I to interpret the Word of God? I am fallible, I am imperfect, I am unworthy, I am unknowing, I am ignorant, and I am no better than any other interpreter. Who am I to say what God teaches? Why should I hold my interpretation over that of anyone else? I cannot know that I am correct. I am only as sure as my own interpretations as are those who hold different interpretations. But who can fathom God’s methods? Who can understand the all-knowing and comprehend the all-powerful? I can be certain of my beliefs only through the teachings of the Church. That blessed communicator of the Truth! That holy establishment of Christ’s! Its infallibility is not a gift, but a requirement. To be within the Church’s teachings is to be within God’s teachings. To be within the Church is to be within the Faith that Christ promised the apostles, that deliverance of the Holy Spirit into all Truth.

I will not exalt my own interpretation above that of other people. I will rely upon Christ’s chosen vicar, Our Lord’s Supreme Pontiff, the Pope and the College of Bishops. My trust is in God, and my trust is in the Catholic Church—the One, the Holy, the Catholic, and the Apostolic Church. I will confide in Christ’s infallible ambassador, that Universal Church of Peace, that unified and holy Body, that Catholic Church. I will side with Augustine in saying, "Rome has spoken, the case is closed." Indeed, when Rome speaks, no further objections can arise.

And so, not in Luther’s name, not in the pope’s name, not in Peter’s name, not in Rome’s name, not in Calvin’s name, not even in my own name, but in Christ Almighty’s name, I conclude that I will speak out, I will not be afraid, and I will refuse to be silenced.

Peace and prayer,
Vincent Maling