PRAYER BEFORE STUDYSt. Thomas Aquinas

Lord, true source of light and wisdom, give me a keen sense of understanding, a retentive memory and a capacity to grasp things correctly.

Grant me the grace to be accurate in my expositions and the skill to express myself with thoroughness and clarity.

Be with me at the start of my work, guide its progress and bring it to completion. Grant this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

COURSE OUTLINECOURSE OUTLINEINTRODUCTION

A. Meaning and Understanding of the Church

B. Jesus and the Church: The Church Institution

C. Holy Spirit and the Church: The Principle of Life in the Church

D. The Scriptural Foundation of the Church

Unit I: CHURCH AS A MYSTERY

PART I : OUR CHURCH – The

Community of Disciples

Chapter I: Church as a Sign and Sacrament

Unit I: CHURCH AS A MYSTERY

Chapter II : Images of the Church

A. Church as the Kingdom of God

B. Church as People of GodC. Church as the

Mystical Body of ChristD. Church of the Poor

Unit II: THE CHURCH IN TIME

Chapter I: Apostolic Church Early Christian

Community

Chapter II: Medieval ChurchA. Division and Development

WithinB. Church as a Perfect Society

Unit II: THE CHURCH IN TIME

Chapter III: Contemporary ChurchA. ReformationB. Council of TrentC. Vatican Council II

Unit III : THE INSTITUTIONAL DIMENSION

OF THE CHURCH

Chapter I : Essential Characteristics

of the Church

A.OneB.HolyC.CatholicD.Apostolic

Chapter III: Mission of the ChurchA. Prophetic MissionB. Kingly MissionC. Priestly Mission

Chapter IV: Ministry in the Church

Major Sources:– Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC 23)– Austin Flannery, O.P., Vatican Council II– Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II)– Dennis Doyle, Communion Ecclesiology, 2000– Dennis Doyle, The Church Emerging from Vatican II– Bruno Forte, The Church: Icon of the Trinity, 1990– Avery Dulles, S.J., Models of the Church, 1988– Walter Kasper, Theology and Church, 1992

PART II : THE SACRAMENTS – Celebration of Life

A. Sacrament and SacramentalsB. Sacraments – Signs of

Christ’s PresenceC. Sacraments in Time

Unit I: CHRISTIAN INITIATION Chapter I: BAPTISM: Birth in Jesus Christ

Chapter II: CONFIRMATION: Growth in Jesus Christ

Chapter III: HOLY EUCHARIST: The Real Presence of Jesus Christ

Unit II: HEALING IN JESUS CHRIST

Chapter I: PENANCE: A Call to Conversion

and Reconciliation

Chapter II: ANOINTING OF THE SICK:

Hope and Spiritual

Comfort

Unit III: A CALL TO SERVICE IN THE COMMUNITY

Chapter I: HOLY ORDERS:

Consecration to Christ in the Service of the People of God

Chapter II: MATRIMORY: Openness to Life in the Service of the Family

STO. DOMINGO CHURCH MANAOAG CHURCH

VATICAN CHURCH

a. Qahal:

• Hebrew word for this Hebrew word for this gathering of the peoplegathering of the people

• Calling of Abraham and electing of Israel as His people.

• “ I am your God and you are my people”

A. MEANING & UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCHA. MEANING & UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH

Etymology and Definition

A. MEANING & UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCHA. MEANING & UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH

b. Ekklesia: •Greek equivalent of Qahal•Known as ek-kalein, which means: “to call out of”•Ekklesia means a convocation or an assembly (usually for religious purpose).

Note: In CFC 1355, ekklesia and qahal are used as: “the people of God called together”/”an assembly called by God.”

Etymology and Definition

c. Kyriake: • literally means: “what belongs to the Lord” (Kyrios)• It is where the German term, Kirche, came from, and from which the English term Church was derived.

i.) it connotes the belongingness of that assembly of God.ii.) it designates the toal community of the people of God.

A. MEANING & UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCHA. MEANING & UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH

Qahal & Ekklesia = stressed the action of God in calling the people together

Kyriake = stressed its belongingness to the Lord

Etymology and Definition

The Church claims to be faith-assembly whose root cause is God’s free call to all to share His divine goodness and love in Christ.

A. MEANING & UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCHA. MEANING & UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH

Christian Usage:• liturgical assembly

• local community

• the whole universal community of believers

I came that they may have life and have it to the full. John 10:10

Christ’s death on the cross restored our original belongingness or relationship with the Father.

The Christian Community

The Christian community is a community of disciples, of people who trust Christ and follow his way of loving God and one another.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ instruction and the communal life, to the breaking of bread, taking their meals in common and to the prayers and praising God. They were of one heart and mind and shared even the things they owned so that no one among them was in want. Day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Acts 2:42-47

In Christian community the people experience belongingness not only among community members but especially with Christ.

This experience helps them to grow in their faith.

We call this Christian

community the Church.

For Filipino Catholics, what is the most common understanding of what the Church is?

The Church is a building or a place where people go to pray or to attend mass.

The Church is a social organization where people are gathered together for an agenda or for company.

The Church is the hierarchy, the priest and the bishops.

The building where people worship is obviously a church but we do not restrict the meaning of Church to the concept of a building. It is more of a building, or a group of churchgoers, church workers or a social grouping. (PCP II 1354)

“Church” Where does it come from?

The gathering together of the People of God began at the moment when sin destroyed the communion of men with God, and that of men and women among themselves (CCC 761).

In gathering us as a people, God aimed at our original belongingness to him

The first gathering started by calling Abraham and electing Israel as his people (Gen 12:1-)

A. Community of friendship – Koinonia -

need for friendship and social relationship.

B. Community of Service – Deaconia -

to serve those who are in need esp. the poor, sick and dying.

C. Community of faith – United in one faith,

one belief

CHURCH as A MYSTERY

We mean not something we can’t know nor understand but rather a reality we can never fully grasp because there is always more to learn. NCDP 200

Church is a mystery. It is a reality imbued with the hidden presence of God, always open to new and ever greater exploration (Pope Paul VI)

Father – Its origin in the father’s plan of salvation.

The saving design of the father

Son – One mediator, ongoing life in the Risen Christ.Redemptive mission of the Son

Holy Spirit – Dwells in the church and in the hearts of the faithful.Sanctifying work of the Spirit.

Church as a Church as a SacramentSacrament

By her By her relationship relationship with Christ, the with Christ, the church is both a church is both a sacramental sign sacramental sign and an and an instrument of instrument of intimate union intimate union with God and the with God and the unity of all unity of all mankind.mankind.

GS 42; LG 1GS 42; LG 1

Church as a Church as a SacramentSacramentThe Church is The Church is the tangible the tangible sign of Christ’s sign of Christ’s presence in the presence in the world, a beacon world, a beacon of light visible of light visible to all and to all and drawing them in drawing them in the power of the the power of the spirit to spirit to communion with communion with God and with one God and with one another in another in Christ.Christ. Acts 13:47, Acts 13:47, Mt 5:14-16Mt 5:14-16

Church – Universal Church – Universal Sacrament of Sacrament of

SalvationSalvation A visible symbol of A visible symbol of God’s continued God’s continued presence among us.presence among us.

The salvation The salvation brought by Jesus brought by Jesus reaches us through reaches us through the church, which is the church, which is empowered by the Holy empowered by the Holy Spirit to be the Spirit to be the means of salvation.means of salvation.

An instrument for An instrument for the Redemption of the Redemption of all. all.

Models of the Church

Institution Hierarchy, rules, doctrines

order., identity. clarity

Community Focuses on people Fellowship

Sacrament As a sign, highly intellectual

Sacramental spirituality

Herald Proclaims the word, focus on preaching of Scripture

Biblical basis

Servant Work to transform the world for justice and peace

Service and care for others

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

1. 1. The Distinction between Individual Salvation and the Necessity of the CHURCH

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

1 Tim 2;4-5

God “ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth. For there is one God and men, The man Christ Jesus who gave HIMSELF as a ransom for all”

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

Every human person, no matter

what his faith and religion, may effectively be saved by following his own religion and conscience.

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

“ All this holds true not for Christians only, but also for all men of goodwill in whose hearts grace is active visibly. For since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the Paschal Mystery,” ( GS 22 )

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

The universality of God’s plan of salvation, which embraces the entire human race and the whole of creation.

The mission of the Church is understood as being first and foremost part of God’s turning toward the world in CREATIVE LOVE, REDEMPTIVE HEALING, and TRANSFORMING POWER.

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

Without the Church, could there be Salvation for Humanity at all?

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

The Church is necessary for the world at large as a Sacrament, an efficacious sign and instrument of God’s redemptive activity in Jesus Christ, leading toward the final kingdom of God.

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

2. Salvation as bound to Community

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

God needs a witness in the world, a PEOPLE in which God’s salvation can be made visible.

Israel’ being chosen is not a privilege or a preference for others, but an existence for others.

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

This has nothing to do with preference, advantage, elitism, or being “better than,” but it has a great deal to do with God's respect for human dignity and human freedom

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

The message of Jesus is not addressed to scattered individuals but to a community.

Even if God addresses individual and calls him to conversion, God always sees that the person as an integral part of the community in which individuals live and come to understand their salvation.

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

3. Being a Christian as a

Call to Mission

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

To be “called by God” means to be drawn into God’s own plan and into the mission of the Son, which extends into the mission of the Church.

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

4. The meaning of “the Keys of the Kingdom” given to Peter.

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

The Church has an important role to play

concerning the Kingdom in history.

It does not mean that only those who join the Catholic Church will enter the kingdom

THE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONSTHE FOUR BASIC PROPOSITIONS

The Church does not decide to whom the kingdom will ultimately be granted or who ultimately will be excluded.

In the words of Jesus, “ Many will come from the east and the west and will take their places in the kingdom of God while the presumed heirs will be thrown out.”

Mt 8: 11-12