Christianity 101: Session Seven THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH

Christianity 101: Session Seven THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH

Presentation of Ponderings Reminders: 1. Holy Spirit 2. The Holy Trinity: Three Persons, One God, NO PARTS Pondering Prompt: How does God give His graces to us today?

ONE,HOLY, CATHOLIC & APOSTOLIC CHURCH

The Church is ONE The Church is one because of her Founder, Jesus Christ, and her soul, the Holy Spirit. Unity is the essence of the Church

The Church is ONE There is also a diversity within the Church s unity. Among the Church s members, there are different gifts, offices, conditions, and ways of life.

what are the CHURCH S BONDS OF UNITY

Bonds to Unity Profession of one faith received from the Apostles. (i.e. The Apostles Creed) Common celebration of divine worship, especially the sacraments. Apostolic succession through the sacrament of Holy Orders, maintaining the fraternal concord of God s family.

Wounds to Unity Rifts have developed over the years between Christian people. These splits are the result of people on both sides and are caused by human sin.

However, we do not fault those born into communities that arose from these splits and The Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers... All who have been justified by Faith in baptism are incorporated into Christ. CCC 218

The Church is HOLY Holiness is to be like God, who is different than anything else we know. So to be holy is to be different. Everything the Church does is directed toward the sanctification (growth in holiness) of humanity in Christ and the glorification of God. The Church itself is held to be unfailingly holy, but comprised of sinners on every level.

The Church is Holy The Church itself is held to be unfailingly holy, but comprised of sinners on every level.

The Church is CATHOLIC The word Catholic means Universal. It s an SAT word! Mike Buckler

Q: In what ways is the church CATHOLIC?

The Church is Catholic because Christ is present in her. She has been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the human race.

The Church is Apostolic Apostle comes from a Greek word meaning emissaries. The Church is built on the foundation of the Apostles Who are privileged witnesses chosen and sent on mission by Christ himself.

The Church is Apostolic (cont.) The Church hands on the good deposit of teachings that was first heard by the Church from the Apostles. The Church continues to be taught, sanctified, and guided by the successors of the Apostles (aka bishops).

the church is the Bride of Christ

The Church as Bride Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her. -Ephesians 5:25

the church is MOTHER

The Church as Mother When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, Woman, behold, your son! -John 19:26-27

Church = ecclesia Church comes from Greek word ecclesia Which means assembly

A BRIEF PREVIEW of (RELAX AND DON T WORRY ABOUT TAKING NOTES)

Timeline of Church History: 33AD to 100AD The Apostolic Period 100AD to 400AD The Early Church 400AD to 1400AD The Medieval Church 1950AD to Today The Contemporary Church 1400AD to 1900AD The Modern Church 33AD 500AD 1000AD 1500AD 2000AD

The Apostolic Period The Period of the Church where the Apostles were still alive (33-100) The Church is still finding its identity. Jew vs. Gentile question Is the Church still Jewish or something new? Structures begin to develop. Greek was the primary language at the time as the Church spread first through the lands that had been conquered by Alexander the Great.

What is Going on in the World? The Romans control the Mare Nostrum. Advanced roads and sea trade routes. Pax Romanum.

The Early Church Very focused on the mission to bring the Gospel to the World. Persecutions of the Church begin, partly because of misunderstandings. Very secretive Baby Eating

Transition from Early to Medieval Church The Roman Empire is divided. The Western falls to barbarian invasion. The Eastern half remains for another thousand years. This causes major differences in culture and language.

The Medieval Church Focus on survival at first. Latin becomes the official language of the Church. Symbolic gestures and objects grow in an attempt to catechize the barbarians.

Rise of Islam 610, Muhammad has his first revelation and begins the Islamic religion.

The Great Schism 1054, a dispute breaks out between Eastern and Western theologians over the nature of the Holy Spirit. The Pope in Rome and the Patriarch in Constantinople mutually excommunicate each other. This creates the division between the Catholic Churches and the Orthodox Churches. 1965, the excommunications were lifted by Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople. Since then there has been lots of work done to try to reconcile the East and the West.

The Crusades First Crusade 1096-99 Second Crusade 1147-49 Third Crusade 1189-92 Fourth through Sixth Crusade 1198-1229 Over the course of about 200 years. 1 to 3 million people died.

The Rise of Modernity 1453, The Ottoman Empire captures Constantinople. 1492, Europe becomes aware of the American continents and ushers in the Age of Discovery. The Renaissance creates a boom in technology, art, and science.

The Protestant Reformation 1517, Martin Luther prints his Ninety-five Theses. This causes him to enter into Schism with Rome and begins what is called the Protestant Reformation and the Lutheran Church After Luther, several other people decided to break with the Church: Anglican Communion King Henry VIII (1534) Calvinism John Calvin (1536) Presbyterianism John Knox (1560) Baptist John Smyth (1605) Methodist John Wesley (1739) Latter-day Saints (Mormons) Joseph Smith (1830) Pentecostals Charles Parham (1900)

The Modern Church Two Primary focuses: Defense of Church Teaching Fear of the Laity misinterpreting the Bible. Missionary efforts to the New World. The Church responds to the Reformation with the Council of Trent in 1563. Tridentine Mass is codified for the Roman Catholic Church.

End of Modernity 1914, World War I ends the Modern Experiment. Humanity, left to it s own devices and without a higher purpose causes Massive levels of destruction. This was reconfirmed with WWII in 1939 and under several dictators of the last century.

The Contemporary Church 1965, The Second Vatican Council issues in a new springtime in the Church. Switch liturgy to the vernacular (for us English). Refocus the Church s mission. Dialogue with the World We are In the world, but not of the world, which means we must dialogue with the world.

PONDERING QUESTION: Do you want to be a Saint?