unit one what is church?. i believe and profess… all that the holy catholic church believes,...
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UNIT ONEWhat is Church?
I Believe And Profess…
All that the Holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.
Faith and the Church are Connected Christian faith cannot be
separated from a relationship with the Church because
– Where the Church is, God is.
– We cannot separate our response to God’s call from our relationship to the Church.
Church From Greek word “Ekklesia”
Means “to call out of”
When used in the New Testament it referred to the community called out of the world by God to live and act in a way that was different from others.
What is God’s call?
Call to be united with Christ, to be part of his body.
A call to faith, a call to be Church.
What is faith?
Pope John Paul II in his encyclical letter Redemptoris Mater says that faith is “contact with the mystery of God”.
A free gift from God
Faith is a human act
A response to God’s gift
A surrendering of ourselves to God
To believe in Christ means To abandon ourselves to
Christ
To allow ourselves to be shaped by Christ
To let go of those things which keep us from listening to and following him.
How does the gift of faith begin? Many different ways:
– Single life-changing event– Commitment of parents to raise
their children in way shaped by Jesus
– In a moment– Part of a longer process
Believing is not something that happens once and for all time.
We can sustain our faith by: Prayer Study Reflection Regular reception of the
sacraments Exercising it in loving
action. We must nourish our faith if
we are to remain committed to what we believe!
The need for Community A true disciple of Christ must
join with others.
Our faith must be communal as well as personal.
It is not easy for the individual or the community to surrender our lives to Christ.– But the Church believes we can
be united in faith.
The need for Community
It is only in the context of a community that we can really come to know and understand the God who “is love”.
The need for Community God has chosen to make his
love and fidelity known to us through one another when we gather in his name.
Our faith is deepened and fortified by the
community’s faith.
Faith is supported by Formal Structures The Church needs to develop
formal structures that help preserve essential truths.
Formal structures include:– Creeds– Doctrines– Rituals
Formal Structures Help both individuals and
communities establish, express, and maintain their identities as believers.
Make our communal relationship with God visible and tangible.
Are defined and interpreted by the Church’s magisterium.
Magisterium
Bishops in communion with the pope who is the successor of St. Peter.
Ecumenism
True ecumenism – the reconciliation of all Christians in the unity of the Church – involves the efforts of all.
The Marks of the Church One, holy, catholic and
apostolic
Certain specific characteristics that date back to early Christianity.
In 381 at the first council of Constantinople the words “one, holy, catholic and apostolic church” were officially added to the Nicene creed.
The Marks of the Church
Through the Holy Spirit, Christ makes the Church one, holy, catholic and apostolic.
The Church manifests these qualities in different ways at different times.
The Church is the first sacrament of Christ
The Church is a symbol and instrument of God’s presence on earth and movement through time.
The Church makes visible to people and provides a means by which they can come in contact with the Holy One.
The Church is One because…1.) Of the unity in the Trinity of
one God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Sprit
2.) Of its founder, Jesus Christ who came to restore unity among all people and between all people and the Father.
3.) Of the Holy Spirit who brings about the communion of the faithful and joins them in Christ.
The true Church of Christ
The Church which Christ entrusted to Saint Peter and the other apostles
Subsists in the Catholic Church
Formal structures that maintain the unity of the Church Profession of one faith
received from the Apostles
Common celebration of divine worship, especially the sacraments
Apostolic succession through the sacrament of Holy Orders.
Unity is not uniformity
Within the unity of the Church a multiplicity of people and cultures is gathered together.
Seven non-Roman ecclesial traditions in union with Rome
Unity is not uniformity
Armenian
West Syrian
Maronite
Unity is not uniformity
Coptic
Ethiopian
Byzantine
East Syrian (Chaldean)
The Church is Holy because It is the body of Christ – The
Holy One of God
The Holy Spirit dwells within it
Of its intimate connection to God.
Holiness means…
To be set apart
Set apart by God for a special purpose
The Church is the heir of the people of Israel
The Catholic Church is set apart to reveal that the One God has became incarnate in Jesus and is present in the Spirit.
Three ways the Church Supports Holiness
1.) Moral Teachings of the
Church
Clarifies practical aspects of livingCertain attitudes and behaviors are unacceptable
2.) Evangelical Counsels
Stand apart from temptation, give witness to love, justice of kingdom
3.) Sacraments Point to essence of life lived in holiness; Give us grace
Evangelical Counsels and their temptation
Poverty Material wealth
Chastity Physical pleasure
Obedience Power
Counsels Temptation
The Church is Catholic
It is for all people
It is the “universal sacrament of salvation”
Catholic means
Universal
In totality
In keeping with the whole
The Church is necessary for salvation The church is necessary for
the transformation of the world into the family of God
All who recognize and understand the necessity of the Church for salvation are obligated to be part of that church
Church teaching is based on the Whole of Revelation
All of scripture
The teachings of all of the apostles
The understanding and witness of Christians from all times, all places
Heresy of Gnosticism
Claimed special privileged knowledge of God and of God’s will. (Secret teachings of one of the 12 apostles)
Catholic Church says:– Teachings are based on the
testimony of all of Jesus’ apostles
The Church is Apostolic
Apostolic means “having been sent
The Church has been sent into the world by Christ
Apostolic Nature of Church
1. Built upon foundation of apostles appointed by Jesus.
1. Jesus is the source and focal point of all we do.
2. Follows guidance of Holy Spirit
1. Faithfully interprets lives and teaches what apostles taught
• Accepts continued guidance of apostles through their successors, Peter’s successor – the Pope, and the bishops.
Apostolic Nature of Church
Apostolic Succession in History
Important to prove connection with apostles.
Local church had to be able to demonstrate the bishop had not broken with fundamental teachings of the apostles.
Apostolic Succession Today Successors of apostles, the
bishops, in union with pope, are able to guarantee that the teachings of the Church will never be detached from the teachings of Christ.
The teachings of the Church will never threaten the true Revelation of God made known in Christ.
Pope: Source and sign of Unity
Without the Pope the unity of the Church would be severely threatened by local churches and bishops addressing competing national and cultural issues
Roles of Pope Gives voice to the universal
mission and vocation of the church.
Calls Catholics everywhere to remember their responsibility to all of God’s people.
To remember that there are certain Church teachings which
cannot be adapted to suit the local culture.
Roles of Pope
In Conclusion
Catholic Church offers:– Continuity with the past– Comfort and security in the
presence of the papacy.
Catholics are called through words and actions to say daily:– Profess faith in One God– Surrender self to Church that is
one, holy, catholic and apostolic.