From that time, Peter became the head of the Church. Christ’s representative on earth. Peter, was followed by his successors and to-day a direct line can be traced from Peter down to the late Pope John XXIII & Pope Paul VI, who came to India in 1964 and the present Pope, John Paul II, who came to India in Jan.1985.

Christ continued to prepare this group. We have seen how miserably they failed Him when He was arrested, and how they trembled for their very lives. But before He finally returned to His Father, Christ gave them their mission in clear words :

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me; you therefore must go out, making disciples of all nations, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all the commands which I have given you. And behold I am with you all through the days that are coming; until the end of the world.” (Matthew. 28, 18-20)

Christ passes on a command to all who will follow Him : “as the Father sends me, I also send you.” Christ’s follower can never be satisfied to keep his treasure for himself. He must share it with others.

 “I WILL BE WITH YOU”

However, when we reflect on the failures of these first followers for Christ, and when we remember how weak all men of all ages are, we can only tremble a little for the fate of the Church that Christ put in the hands of mere men.

The history of Christ’s followers has its dark pages, for human failures are part of its story. But Christ made a promise that guarantees that He will always be available for honest and sincere seekers – even if individual Christians fail. He said : “I will be with you all days even to the end of the world.”

Christ knew well the weaknesses of the men whom He had purchased back to the sonship of His Father at the cost of His life’s blood. So He promised to send the Holy Spirit when He retuned to the Father to dwell in the hearts of His people to enlighten them and to strengthen them.

Before He left them He said : “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another to befriend you, one who is to dwell continually with you forever. It is the truth-giving Spirit, for whom the world can find no room because it cannot see Him, cannot recognize Him. But you are to recognize Him; He will be continually at your side, nay, He will be in you. I will not leave you friendless; I am coming to you.” (John 15, 16-18)

And again He said to them, “Now I am going back to him who sent me…And yet I can say truly that it is better for you that I should go away. He who is to befriend you will not come to you unless I do go, but if only I make my way there, I will send Him to you. He will come, and it will be for Him to prove the world wrong about sin…