1. God gave His Church four visible signs by which it can be distinguished from other man made churches. These signs were given by God from the beginning of time and so they have pre-existed all other churches. These signs are; One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic…..as enumerated in the Nicene Creed. Though they are described as visible signs, most of them are not really that visible. One and Holy are not that visible but they can be seen in their external expressions.
It is not really that easy knowing the four visible signs of the true Church. That is why very, very few know them. It is a big help if one has virtues. It becomes impossible if one has vices.
2. The true Church of Jesus Christ have had these four signs, clearly and visibly, since Pentecost. The signs shone brighter during the era of the Fathers of the Church. Those signs accompanied Europe to her golden age, until…….the reformation. When the Catholic Church had a double split; one went towards the direction of Protestantism, the other remained Catholic with the four visible signs.
Then this latter underwent another split; one went towards the more contemplative life. The other went towards worldliness. The one leading towards contemplation retained the four visible signs. The one that embraced the world gradually lost the four visible signs.
3. There is nothing wrong with the Marian contemplative (as in Mary and Martha) Church. She has kept the four visible signs. The problem was with Martha. She gradually lost her visible signs because she became careless with her Marthan activities. The Catholic Church represented by Martha was clearly loosing her four visible signs during the Council of Trent. The four signs were probably gone by the 1800 when Pius IX wrote ‘Mirari Vos.’ And the signs opposite One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic described by St. Robert Bellarmine became the existing signs of the church; these signs were heresies, heresies, heresies and more heresies.
4. The ‘Mary’ Church group never lost the four visible signs. It was the ‘Martha’ group that lost the four visible signs. It is the ‘Martha’ group that we are describing from the Papacy of Pius IX who first noticed this split in the Church, to the present Bishop’s Synod of
2014 – 2015.
5. The Popes from Gregory XVI up to Benedict XVI had noticed this split between Mary and Martha; and the gradual deterioration of Martha. The ‘Marthan’ Catholics are the focus of our attention because they occupy the Vatican, all the Dioceses, all the parishes, all the religious houses and all the lay families. The entire visible Church is the Martha who have lost her four visible signs of being the true Church of Christ.
Pope Benedict knew Mary was somewhere and constantly looked for her. He knew Mary was not in the Vatican, the dioceses and parishes. In fact, nobody had noticed it, but Benedict had always asked all the Bishops during their ‘Ad limina’ visit if they had seen ‘Mary.’ Since most bishops belong to the Martha that have lost the four visible signs, they did not really know what Pope Benedict was talking about.
Pope Benedict had a hint where Mary was. He knew this Church was outside the formal structure of the hierarchical church. That they had a perfect knowledge of the teachings of Christ taught by the Father and not from men. That they live in an unnoticeable way the contemplative life. That their structure in being informal enabled them to sway as the Holy Spirit moves them. That they live very active but very quiet lives. And yet they look like ordinary worldly people. It was this that made it difficult to find them. But Benedict knew they were around and that they were the real Church with the four visible signs as expanded to the 15 Marks of the Church by St. Robert Bellarmine.
6. The shadow of the four visible signs of the true Church was still hovering over Vatican I. But with Vatican II, even the shadow was gone. Vatican II did not have even a hint either of the four visible signs from the Nicene Creed, nor the 15 Marks of the Church by Robert Bellarmine. After the Bishop’s Synod of 2014 and 2015, the signs opposite One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic were rampant everywhere. From the top to the bottom. The signs that appeared are Confusion, Evil, Protestant and Modernism.
7. To be saved we must know where we belong. And Divine Providence sent us His help. Suddenly two important works of St. Robert Bellarmine, Jesuit saint and Doctor of the Church, which up to lately were still in Latin were suddenly translated into English. Those works suddenly gave light to the smog of confusion, evil, protestant and modernist elements that was choking the world. The first work is ‘De Notis Ecclesiae’. With this book everybody can know whether they are in the right church or not; whether in the ‘Mary’ Church with the four signs or the ‘Martha’ church that have lost all the four signs. The second book is ‘De Romano Pontifice’ which tells us whether we are following the right Pope.
8. With ‘De Notis Ecclesiae’ it is evident that the Catholic Church made up of the Pope, down to the cardinals, bishops, priests, nuns and lay men are not showing the four or 15 Marks of Catholicity. Everyone can check on this by themselves. And where can we find the true Church with the four signs? Pope John Paul II and Benedict showed us where in their ‘New’ evangelization when they declared Our Lady of Gudalupe and St. Therese as Patron saints of the new evangelization. Was that clear? If not, we have to remove first some vices, specially pride, to find her.