1 The characteristics of the Church This chapter presents the following key learning points: The Church is the body of Christ The Church has qualities of being One,, Catholic and Apostolic The Church is the universal sacrament of salvation. The Church is the body of Christ the Spirit with all who receive Baptism. Through the thoughts and feelings that the Spirit stirs in their conscience, each baptised person is led to believe and is drawn together with other baptised people into a visible body. Since earliest times, this body has been called the Body of Christ. In the words of St Paul: all of us, though there are so many of us, make up one body in Christ (Romans 12:5) The members of the Church form this visible body. They can be seen by others, particularly when they gather together to worship. The Spirit is the invisible One who dwells within each Church member and who binds all together. Our churches are holy places consecrated for prayer and worship, 2006 (w/c on paper) by Wang, Elizabeth (Contemporary Artist) COME FOLLOW ME YEAR 10 207
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s who es the y Spirit in turn, es and gthens its bers. It sus who es the y Spirit in turn, es and bers. It sus who th I believe in Christ The Church has the qualities of being One,, Catholic and Apostolic The four qualities of the Church are that as a community it is: One Catholic Apostolic. Catholics express their belief in these central teachings about the qualities of the Church when they pray The Apostles Creed. The Apostles Creed is an early formulation of the Church s basic belief dating from the time of the Apostles. The Apostles Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Christ, his only Son, our Lord. his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. COME FOLLOW ME YEAR 10 209
The Nicene Creed is even more specific as to the characteristics of the Church. It concludes: We believe in one, holy, catholic and Apostolic Church. The Nicene Creed was formulated by the first Council of Nicaea in 325, affirming that was True God and True Man. The Nicene Creed We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Christ, the only Son of God eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Spirit, the Lord, the giver of live, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified He has spoken throught he Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen 210 COME FOLLOW ME YEAR 10
The Church is One The Spirit is working to unite all members of the Church. The Spirit does this by gifting responsive baptised believers with: charity, the love of God poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5) faith, the spiritual gift of belief in and worship of God, especially through: the Eucharist and the other sacraments the Apostles Creed (which contains the basic teachings of ) the Church s Magisterium, exercised through the successors of Peter and the Apostles. The foundation of the Church s unity derives from all its members sharing the one fellowship in the Spirit through Baptism (2 Corinthians 13:13). There are divisions in the Church due to human confusion and disbelief among its m These will be overcome to the extent that all baptised people open themselves fully to the Spirit. The Church is The Church is holy for two reasons. First, its Head is holy. Second, the Spirit whom Christ with each baptised member is holy. Because the Church is made up of human beings there are examples of Church bodies and members breaking God s laws. It is important to remember that these situations are a result of human weakness. The holiness of Christ and the Spirit will always prevent the Church from collapsing. It is Christ and the Spirit who have stirred the renewal of the Church after periods of corruption. Even in dark periods in the Church s history, individual members have always been able to draw on the strength and holiness of and the Spirit. They have always been able to draw on the gifts of the sacraments. and the Spirit empower believers to grow in holiness. They empower those who develop the spiritual gifts each has received through the sacraments, to keep God s laws. Love, justice, compassion and other qualities that reflect their likeness to God are strengthened. They become holy as God is holy. COME FOLLOW ME YEAR 10 211
1. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH The Church is Catholic The word catholic means universal. The Church is catholic in a double sense. Firstly, it is catholic because wherever is, so too, is the Catholic Church. Through his Church, gives each of his followers the means of salvation. Catholics are called to form their consciences in order to always do what is good in the world. They are called to deepen their spiritual gifts by participating in all aspects of the Church, especially the sacraments. Secondly, the Church is catholic because the mission of the Church is to the whole of the human race. Christ gave the members of the Church the task of spreading his Gospel universally. He commanded: Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) The Church has spread throughout the world today because the Apostles and others worked to fulfil this command of Christ. The Church is Apostolic The Church is apostolic because it is founded on the Apostles and the gifts and mission received from through the Apostles. It continues to be served by the successors of the Apostles, the Pope and bishops. In Class Work Divide the class into small groups. Each group is allocated one of the following characteristics of the Church: One,, Catholic and Apostolic. Groups generate a mind-map illustrating their understanding of the meaning of their allocated characteristic. From ideas generated in the mind-map, create a mime or brief dramatic presentation illustrating how the Church of today demonstrates this quality. OR Use the information from the mid-map to create a recipe for how the Church can demonstrate this characteristic in the contemporary world. What ingredients would be needed (e.g. people who are givers )? What needs to happen to the ingredients to develop this characteristic (e.g. people to gather together)? 212 COME FOLLOW ME YEAR 10
The Church is the universal sacrament of salvation When God created human nature, God intended all people to live in harmony, and that, as each person related closely with God, they would draw closer to each other. Sin destroyed this plan. As people stopped listening to their consciences and obeying the commandments they drew away from God. As a result conflict and tensions spread among people. This remains the case today. There are conflicts between individuals, and conflicts between and within nations. From the moment the parents of the human race sinned, God resolved to restore harmony. To do this, God first had to restore the relationship that leads to peace between human beings and God. God therefore planned the Church from the time when sin first occurred in the human race. A sacrament is a visible sign of the invisible presence and action of God. In Baptism, through the visible sign of immersion or the pouring of water, frees the person from original sin and the Spirit with them. The Church is like a sacrament for it, too is a visible sign and expression of the invisible actions of God. When people see a gathering of Church members, such as at Mass, they see a body of people. This is a sign of the invisible reality that these people are in spiritual union with Christ. People throughout the world gather for Mass. This is because the Church includes people from different nationalities, cultures and ethnic groups. Catholics all over the world are a sign of drawing together people of all nationalities, bringing them closer to God and to each other. The community of the Church is like a sacrament. It is a sign and an instrument of Christ bringing: union between God and individuals union between the peoples of the earth, to the extent that each is in union with God. COME FOLLOW ME YEAR 10 213
In Class Work World Youth Day is a great gathering of youth from around the world. Every three years young people gather for fellowship, prayer and worship, including Mass with the Pope. This is one example of the Church being a sign and an instrument of Christ bringing unity with God and with other people. Give other examples. For your information As sacrament, the Church is God s visible plan of love for humanity and the means by which all people can find salvation. God wants to make everyone holy and for all people to come together to love and serve him in holiness. For this purpose God established a group of people the Church who, guided by the Spirit, would become one. made clear God s plan for the Church to be a sign and instrument of the union between God and people, and between people across all nations. He commanded his Apostles: Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) Go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15) As the Father sent me, so am I sending you. (John 20:21) you will receive the power of the Spirit which will come on you, and then you will be my witnesses to earth s remotest end. (Acts 1:8) 214 COME FOLLOW ME YEAR 10
In Class Work Use the information from Chapter 6 to answer these questions. 1. What are the three ways in which Christ is recognised as Head of the Church? 2. Belief in Christ is one requirement for membership of the Church, what is the other one? 3. What are the four qualities of the Church? 4. How is the Church holy? 5. What does it mean to say the Church is apostolic? 6. Describe how the Church is a sacrament. COME FOLLOW ME YEAR 10 215