The Church’s Salvation & Mission The One True Church

The Goal and the Means The Church is both the goal and the means of God’s saving plan –The Goal What is our destination in God’ saving plan? – God wants that we will all be with Him in Heaven for eternity as part of the Church in Heaven- Church Triumphant –The Means How does the Church help us to achieve that destination? –Through the Church on Earth, Church Militant- we obtain the graces that are necessary to fight evil, avoid temptation and stay on the right road to Heaven The entire Church includes the souls of the living on Earth, the dead in heaven and those waiting for heaven in purgatory (Church Suffering)

Why Should I be a Catholic? The Catholic Church alone has the fullness of the means to salvation –Other faiths have the elements of sanctification and truth Do you have to be Catholic to be saved? –God offers salvation to ALL people including those who have never heard of Jesus or the church. Why belong to an organized religion? –Humans are social by nature. God offers us salvation through the community of the Church

Can everyone be saved? God loves all people and wills everyone to be saved God wills everyone to come to knowledge of the Truth –We are saved through knowledge of the Truth. Jesus is the “Way, Truth and the Life” The Church is entrusted with the obligation to proclaim this truth to the world through its missionary activity

Fullness of the Church The Marks of the Church OneHoly CatholicApostolic Revelation –Transmitted through Scripture and Tradition Sacraments –7 signs instituted by Jesus to bring us grace Ordained ministry –Apostolic Succession

Church is necessary for salvation Jesus established the Church as a visible organization through which He communicates grace, truth, and salvation. Jesus spoke of the necessity of baptism –“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned” –“No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit”

The Church as Sacrament Visible sign of the saving union between God and humans. –Sacramentum- visible sign –Mysterium- hidden reality –It comes from God and leads us to God God created us as his people, the Church and as his holy people the Church leads us back to him Visible signs of God’s presence –Jesus Primary sacrament- makes God’s presence visible –Church Through the Church we come to know Jesus and celebrate the sacraments Brings grace and redemption –Sacraments Visible signs of the invisible grace they contain Efficacious signs

Salvation outside the Church? Salvation is offered to all people –People moved by God’s grace who try to do God’s will as they know it by their conscience –Only God knows how Grace and Truth outside the visible boundaries of the Church –God’s great mercy –Saving Grace The Church’s continuing mission –Continues to call all people to the fullness of the Church

Who needs Organized Religion? The social nature of Humans –Created to live in community –Need each other for support –Goal of communion with God Communal and individual worship –Part of: liturgical assembly, local diocese and worldwide Church –Liturgical prayer is meant for communal worship –Individual prayer brings us to communal prayer Made in God’s image –Trinity, communion of three persons, one God We resemble this relationship