Theo 3 Reviewer Lesson 1 & 2 PDF

Reviewer (Theo 3)\ **Lesson 1** **Church** - comes from Hebrew word **qahal** which is the equivalent of the Greek word **ekklesia**. Both words mean \"the people of God called together, or an \"assembly convoked by God.\" - community of baptized people united by their faith in Jesus...

Reviewer (Theo 3)\ **Lesson 1** **Church** - comes from Hebrew word **qahal** which is the equivalent of the Greek word **ekklesia**. Both words mean \"the people of God called together, or an \"assembly convoked by God.\" - community of baptized people united by their faith in Jesus and by their love for one another. - primarily the people of God united in one faith in Christ and His Spirit of love. - refers to us the people of God - we belong to a special community established by Jesus - It has a beginning and will never end. - From the life of the early Church up to present, the Church is still alive - We are the church. **church**- refers to the structure or the building Jesus is the Head of the Church, which is the **Mystical Body of Christ** of which we are all members. Throughout Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Church was made manifest. The Pentecost is the birth of the Church because it is the time that the Apostles were inspired to go out to proclaim the Good News of who Jesus is and what He has done for us. **Different Communities Every Individual Belongs To** 1. Family 2. School 3. Parish **Nature of the Church**\ 1. **The Church is Mystery** -- because of its relationship to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. - Design of God the Father (Old Testament) -- God's People: The Israelites - Redemption mission of Jesus (New Testament) -- God sent Jesus, the Promised Savior. Called and commissioned the twelve apostles. Jesus established the Church. - Work of the Holy Spirit (Holy Spirit) - The Holy Spirit strengthens and inspires the Church to engage in ministry of Jesus Christ. Its origin ongoing life, and final goal involve the very Self of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit. The Holy Spirit continues to strengthens and sanctifies the Church until it completes its journey toward a perfect union with God. 2\. **The Church is Sacrament** -- Sacrament by definition is a visible sign making present an invisible reality. Christ has made the Church the effective sign and symbol of our union with God, the unity among men and of our salvation. The Church is a visible or concrete symbol of the Risen Jesus in our world. **Scriptural Images of the Church** 1. **People of God --** God has willed to make men holy and save them, not as individuals without any bonds or link between them, but rather to make them into a people who might acknowledge Him and serve Him in holiness. 2. **Body of Christ --** The **Church** is the **Body of Christ**, as **Christ** is the **head and founder of the Church.** The relationship between the Church and Christ is the same as the relationship between the body and the head. 3. **Temple of the Holy Spirit --** The Holy Spirit vivifies the Church and gives it life, sustains its very existence, and inspires its actions. - The Church is not the Kingdom of God, but it means toward establishing it. - The Kingdom is not fully present but 'in process'. **Lesson 2** **Church** - Is the mystical body of Christ, established by God on Earth to gather humanity to divine life in heaven. - God desired all the faithful to be a single family, united to him to one another in one 'mystical body'. - This assembly is the Church, the body of Christ, which God has established as: "the instrument for the salvation of all". **The Founding event of the Church on Earth** 1. **Keys of the Kingdom** -- given by Christ to St. Peter, symbol of the supreme authority of Peter and of his successors, the Popes. 2. **The Twelve Apostles** -- were also given the power to bind and loose when united with Peter, their head. **The Four Marks of the Church (Characteristics)** **"I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church."** 1. **One** -She is one because she has one founder, God. She is also one because her members are united in one faith, sharing the same sacraments under one head, Christ, and the Pope, his vicar on Earth. 2. **Holy** -- She is Holy because she is founded by God, and because her members are the baptized. Through her ministry sinners receive Christ's forgiveness and become holy. 3. **Catholic** -- She is Catholic, which means 'universal', because she is for all races and nation in all ages. All salvation comes through her. 4. **Apostolic** -- She is apostolic because her faith and practices have come to her from the apostles. Her leaders, the bishops, are successors of the apostles. She is also apostolic in that she is 'sent out' to preach the Gospel to all creation. **The Foundation of the Church by Christ** Jesus Christ established a group of followers under 12 leaders he called 'Apostles'. He gave one of them, Simon Peter, overall authority. He gave his disciples his teaching to pass on to all peoples under the direction of the Holy Spirit who came at Pentecost. This teaching is found in Scripture and Tradition, and is interpreted by the Church with the authority of Christ. He also established the sacraments to enable his saving power to be present through the ministry of the Church. The Church in the Light of the Second Plenary Council of the Phils (PCP ll) Plenary Council of the Phils (PCP ll) - Unite All Things Under Christ (Ephesians 1:10)" was the theme of PCP-II, which convened in Manila last January 20 to February 17, 1991, gathering 489 clerical, religious and lay participants. - PCP-II, the first was in 1958, takes pride in being the first plenary council held in the Catholic Church after Vatican II (1962-1965). - It was a "Filipino first." The Council was intended to "renew the Church and revitalize the Christian faith of Catholics". What Vatican II is for the whole Catholic world, that the Second Plenary Council is going to be for the Church in the Philippines. **What Vatican II is for the whole Catholic world, that the Second Plenary Council is going to be for the Church in the Philippines.** Vision: A Renewed Church Mission: A Renewed Integral Evangelization **Renewed Catechesis** **Renewed Social Apostolate** - Christian social action (action carried out by the Church and its members to promote human development, justice in society and peace) is a task without which evangelization is not complete. - "Actions on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel." (1971 Synod of Bishops) **Renewed Worship** - All of life is worship -- the whole of life must be an act of worship. "We cannot worship God in churches and shrines and then disregard him in our daily business of life." (St. Paul) - Renewal of Prayer life -- Unless there is a genuine prayer life, religious activities and religion itself degenerate into an empty shell. - Renewal of Popular piety -- popular religious practices are rich in values, manifest thirst for God, show a deep awareness of the attributes of God, but these should be fostered in such a way that they do not become distortions of religion or remain at the level of superficial forms of worship but become rather true expressions of faith. - Liturgical renewal -- the sacraments must be celebrated as sacraments of faith presupposing faith in the recipient and celebrants. **Kind of Church we must be to meet the challenge of our society** 1. **THE CHURCH IS A COMMUNION** - The Church is a communion of life, love and truth, a community of faith hope and love. - The first disciples' life is an expression of this communion (Acts 2:42) - This communion is expressed in - a.) unity in diversity and - b.) equality in dignity -- each member of the lay faithful, together with ordained ministers and religious men and women shares a responsibility for the Church's mission. 2. **PARTICIPATION** - The laity is enabled more to participate fully in the life and task of the Church. - A very important aspect of the Church as communion - Each has a gift from the Spirit to share, and each has a need of the other's gifts for the building up of the body and for the fulfilment of its mission. - In the Church, nobody is so poor as to have nothing to give and nobody is so rich as to have nothing to receive. 3. **A COMMUNITY-IN-MISSION** - The plan of God for the whole human race to become one people of God, one body of Christ points to the missionary character of the community of disciples. - The Church is a communion in the state of mission. - The Community of disciples does not exist only for itself but for the world. It is sent for a mission. - The Church is commissioned by Jesus to proclaim and witness: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations....and behold I am with you always, until the end of time." (Mt. 28:19-20) - It becomes then our missionary vocation as Filipinos in this only country with predominantly catholic population and a diverse culture and religion (Interreligious dialogue) 4. **A PRIESTLY, KINGLY AND PROPHETIC PEOPLE** - To fulfil our mission, Christ has constituted us as a priestly, prophetic and kingly people, a sharing in his threefold mission. 5. **CHURCH OF THE POOR** - A Church that embraces the and practices the evangelical spirit of poverty which combines detachment from possessions with a profound trust in the Lord as the sole source of salvation. - It is one whose members and leaders have special love for the poor (not excluding the rich) - It is one where at the very least the poor are not discriminated against because of their poverty - It means the pastors and other Church leaders will give preferential attention and time to those who are poor and will generously share of their own resources in order to alleviate their poverty and make them recognize the love of the Lord for them despite their poverty. - It is one that will be in solidarity with the poor - It means that the Church will not only evangelize the poor but that the poor in the Church will themselves become evangelizers. - Pastors and leaders will learn to be with, work with and learn from the poor. - Pastors and leaders of such a Church of the poor will not compete for the most prosperous parishes, or offices and will not ambition for titles and honors - It is one where the entire community of disciples esp. the rich and better off sectors of the society will have such love or preference for the poor - It is one that is willing to follow Jesus Christ through poverty and oppression in order to carry out the work of salvation. 6. **BASIC ECCLESIAL COMMUNITY (BEC): An Expression of Renewal** PCP II definition: - They are small communities of Christians, usually of families who gather together around the table of the Word of God and the Eucharist. - They are united to their pastors but are ministered to regularly by lay leaders. - The member knows each other by name and share not only the Word of God and the Eucharist but also their concerns both material and spiritual. - They have a strong sense of belongingness and responsibility for one another. - Another definition: A community of believers at the grassroots level which meets regularly under the leadership of a lay minister to express their faith in common worship to discern on their common living of the faith to plan and act on common decisions regarding the life of faith in community as community. - Bible Sharing and Pastoral Planning, but both done in a genuinely participatory way. - It is through the BEC that the community - shares their stories and concerns, success and struggles - listen and discern together the Word of God in their liturgical celebration and Bible fellowships - grieve together when the time of sorrow and misfortune afflicts a fellow member - get updates from the Parish through their leader inputs. - Conducts flores de mayo and catechism for the members - Celebrate fiesta - Decide important matters for the betterment of the faith under the guidance of the Parish Priest. 7. **THE CHURCH'S PASCHAL PILGRIMAGE** - The Church is not and will never be the perfect bride of Christ... at once holy and always in need of purification, she follows constantly the path of penance and renewal, a path that she must walk on her paschal pilgrimage. **SACRED STRUCTURE** - The Latin word for Church is **ecclesia** which means assembly. As a visible assembly, she is composed of members as well as hierarchy. - Take into account that the Bishops are the successors of the apostles. **POPE** - In Latin "**papa**", is the Bishop of Rome and the Leader worldwide. He is the Supreme Leader of the Catholic Church. Pope also means "**pontiff**" - **Papacy** - is the office and jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome **CARDINALS** - Are senior church officials who are typically bishops or archbishops **ARCHBISHOPS** - Archbishops lead archdioceses, which are larger or more important Dioceses. They oversee other bishops in their province and have additional responsibilities. **BISHOPS** - The 12 apostles were called the first bishops of the church. Preside over one diocese, many parishes. **PRIEST** - Serve under bishops and are responsible for parish communities. They lead mass, administer sacraments, and provide spiritual guidance. - **Diocesan Priests** -- Priests that are assigned to a specific parish. A diocesan priest is generally called to serve the needs of his parish. - **Religious Order Priests** - Priests who are in a religious order are not assigned to a particular diocese. Rather than running parishes, a religious priest receives orders from his superior to do a particular job within the community's charism. **DEACON** - Deacons assist priests and bishops in their duties. They can perform baptism and marriage, and often engage in service activities and preaching. **LAITY** - Includes all baptized Catholics who are not ordained. They play an essential role in the Church's mission through various ministries, participation in the sacraments, and living out their faith in everyday life. **MAGISTERIUM** - The Teaching Authority of the Church "Saints" refers to all Christians who are made holy by baptism **THREE STATES OF THE CHURCH** 1. **Church militant -** because its members struggle against the world, the flesh and the devil*.* 2. **Church suffering** - means the souls in Purgatory. 3. **Church Triumphant** - is the Church in heaven. **Communion of Saints -** *The unity and cooperation of the members of the Church on earth, in Purgatory, in Heaven is also called the Communion of Saints.*