Qualities And Marks Of The Church PDF

Qualities and Marks of the Church KARL ANGELO S. VISDA  LOGY O THE CHURCH AS BOTH HUMAN AND DIVINE Vatican II describes the Church primarily as the People of God. The Church is a community of people united in ONE faith in Christ and H...

Qualities and Marks of the Church KARL ANGELO S. VISDA  LOGY O THE CHURCH AS BOTH HUMAN AND DIVINE Vatican II describes the Church primarily as the People of God. The Church is a community of people united in ONE faith in Christ and His Spirit of love (c.f. CFC 1355), guided by the HOLY Spirit Himself, cutting across all ages and nations (“CATHOLIC” or Universal), and APOSTOLIC in origin, tradition and doctrine. This leads us to recognize the nature of the Church as both HUMAN and DIVINE The Church as TH E O LO Human GY The Church is human obviously because of us—the people, the community. The Church exists in time, operates within human means and structures, and is subject to elements of history. It is human because of our frailty—the Church makes mistakes too (but not in terms of faith and morals). “Church as the hospital of sinners and not the museum of saints.” The Church as TH E O LO Human GY This simply proves that the Church is human too and is in need of God’s help towards holiness (even Jesus’ ministry has a Judas).  LOGY O THE CHURCH AS DIVINE The Church is divine because of her origin, nature, and mission— all of which arise from the creative design of the Father, the redemptive mission of the Son, and the sanctifying work of the Spirit.  LOGY O THE CHURCH AS DIVINE The Church can forgive sins (Jn 20:23), heal the sick, proclaim the Truth without error (1 Tim 3:15), and has the authority to bind and loose (Mt 16:19). As both human and divine, the Church, the body of Christ, is like Jesus Himself. As Jesus is God in Human Flesh, the Church is also God’s Kingdom on Earth. Infallibility of the TH E O LO GY Church Infallibility is the basis of the essential matters of faith and morals. It makes the Church's teaching free of error. The promise of Christ is that the Church could not go astray because of His presence. Christ makes His Church infallible Infallibility of the TH E O LO GY Church Infallibility belongs in a special way to the Pope as head of the bishops (Matt. 16:17) “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven…”  TH E O Infallibility of the LO GY Church Christ instructed the Church to preach everything he taught (Matt. 28:19–20) and promised the protection of the Holy Spirit to “guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13) The Church will never fall away from his teachings (Matt. 16:18, 1 Tim. 3:15), Four Marks of the Church Logo Quiz Logo Quiz Logo Quiz Logo Quiz Logo Quiz Logo Quiz Logo Quiz Logo Quiz Logo Quiz Logo Quiz Logo Quiz Logo Quiz Logo Quiz  TH E O Four Marks of the LO GY Church In the Creed we profess the Church to be One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. It is Christ who, through the Holy Spirit, makes His Church one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, And it is He who calls her to realize each of these qualities. (CCC 811)  TH E O Four Marks of the LO GY Church By reflecting on these marks of the Church can help us to strengthen our faith and attracts the attention of nonbelievers. However, these marks should not treated merely as “marks” but also a gift which constitutes tasks that challenge the Church as part of its mission (CFC 1390).  LOGY O THE The Church is ONE “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” – Mt 16:18 Before Jesus ascended into heaven after His resurrection, He had prayed to the Father: “Keep them in Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are” (Jn 17:11).”  LOGY O THE The Church is ONE This priestly prayer of Jesus reflects His desire that the Church would be one. The Church that Jesus Christ founded is a visible Church with a central authority, in leadership, in administration, and in doctrine  LOGY O THE The Church is ONE Catholics can recognize the same Creed, same Mass, same sacraments, and Moral teachings. Church as one, endowed the faithful with a task to foster the unity of the Church, the people of God. For Filipino Catholics, PCP II pointed out the need for both ecumenical and interfaith dialogue. The Church is TH E O LO GY Holy The Church is holy because of her divine origin. Jesus Christ is her Founder and Head. All Christian churches will claim that the head of their church is Jesus Christ. However, it is only the Catholic Church that can claim that her founder is Jesus Christ. This is a fact that cannot be denied in history. The Church is TH E O LO GY Holy The Church is holy because it fosters the holiness of its members. Traditionally, many Filipino Catholics related holiness to certain persons like priests or religious. Some laity used that as an excuse for not striving after holiness themselves. All baptized are called to live the full challenge of Christian holiness (CFC 1400). To be truly human is to be a holy person.  LOGY O THE The Church is Catholic The term catholic means “universal, complete, all-embracing.” it applies to the Church in two different ways. First, the Church is world-wide, sent to all peoples. Second, she spreads the whole, true faith because she has "the fullness of the means of salvation" (CFC 1401).  LOGY O THE The Church is TH E O LO GY Apostolic Jesus established His Church under the leadership of Peter. He even assured Peter and the apostles that He would be with them until the end of time. The present leadership in the Catholic Church can be traced back to the first Christian leaders who were the apostles  APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION  The Church is TH E O LO GY Apostolic The Church is apostolic in three basic ways; 1. Jesus Christ grounded her permanently on the foundation of the apostles. 2. She guards and transmits their teaching and witness. 3. She continues to be instructed, sanctified and guided by the apostles through their successors (CFC 1407). She has a living tradition (we)