Why belong to a ‘community’ of faith? God has created every person to live with and for others. This need to belong allows us to live and thrive as members of communities. Genesis 2:18 states, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone.’ Neuroscientists have provided evidence that humans need to live in community in order to develop social skills, language and complex thinking. Discuss your experience in the different communities that support your growth and development.

THE CHURCH: The community that God has gathered together The Holy Trinity is a community of three divine Persons in one God —Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Every human being is created in the image of God, imago Dei. The Church is ‘the sign and the instrument of the communion of God and men’ (Catechism of he Catholic Church, no. 780). How do the above statements reflect the importance of community?

Preparation for the promise: God’s human adventure in the making The commitments and promises we make to one another bind us together. Give an example of a promise someone made to you . . . and kept. How did it make you feel? God’s Covenants, or mutual solemn agreements, have strengthened our relationship with God.

Great Old Testament events in God’s human adventure Call of Abraham: God promised that a great nation would come from his descendants. Call of Moses: God directed Moses to free the Israelites from their enslavement by the Egyptians. Covenant at Sinai: God revealed the Torah, or Law of the Covenant, of which the Ten Commandments were a central part. Call of the Prophets: Through the prophets God promised a New Covenant with all people, to be revealed in Jesus Christ.

God’s promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ Approximately 1,400 years after the death of Moses, God sent Jesus as the fulfillment of all of the OT promises. God became flesh in Jesus to inaugurate the reign of God and the New Covenant.

Great New Testament events in God’s human adventure Incarnation: God became human in Jesus, while remaining fully divine. We prepare for this at Advent and celebrate it at Christmas. Public ministry of Jesus: Teaching, healing and proclaiming the Kingdom of God We celebrate this in Ordinary Time. Jesus’ Death and Resurrection: We prepare for this mystery during Lent and celebrate it during the Easter Triduum. Ascension: The return of the risen Christ to the Father. We celebrate this on the fortieth day of the Easter Season. Pentecost: The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. We celebrate this on the fiftieth day of the Easter Season.

Great New Testament events in God’s human adventure God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. —John 3:16 Because of his love for the Father and for all humanity, Jesus freely accepted Death on the Cross, wiping out the power of sin and death. This act of love reconciled us with God and one another. Through this sacrifice, the Church was born. Give examples of how we can see Jesus’ love alive in the Church today.

Pentecost and the Church’s call to mission Within a few centuries after the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, Christianity overcame widespread persecution to become the religion of the Roman Empire. The success of the growth of the Church can be attributed to the power of the Holy Spirit. St. Peter and the other disciples fearlessly and boldly lived and preached the teachings that Jesus had imparted to them. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. —Matthew 28:19–20

The story of the early Church in Carthage, North Africa In the year AD 248 the Roman Emperor Decius decreed that everyone had to show loyalty to the gods of the Empire by performing a simple act of worship, for which they would receive a certificate of compliance. Those who did not comply were subject to painful and prolonged torture Over half of the Christians abandoned their faith A minority resisted and were imprisoned; some died under torture Property and sacred writings were confiscated Many others fled into hiding, including Cyprian The persecution was so devastating that there was a near total collapse of the structure of the Church.

The story of the early Church in Carthage, North Africa When Emperor Decius died in AD 251, the persecution ended. Almost instantly the Church re-emerged battered but not defeated. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. —Ephesians 6:10 How boldly do you share your faith in Christ? What motivates you to do so?