What Does it Mean that the Church is Apostolic?

Reflections on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Each time we gather to celebrate the Eucharist—the new and everlasting covenant—we profess our belief in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” But what does it mean to say the Church is Apostolic?

On the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Fr. Robert reflected on this profound question. He drew us into the moment in the Gospel of John where Christ asks Peter three times, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?”—a question that pierces the heart and reveals the depth of Christian discipleship.

The Apostolic Church, Fr. Robert reminded us, is rooted not merely in unbroken succession or doctrinal clarity, but in love—the self-emptying love of Christ, who offered himself for the life of the world. This is the tradition handed down from the Apostles, the very heart of our faith.

Quoting St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he emphasized: “We can have all knowledge, and even faith that moves mountains, but if we do not have love, we are nothing.”