1. Act of Faith
O my God, relying on thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen.

2. Lesson Two: Christ’s Church

3. What is the Church?

4. The Church is: The New Israel The Community established by Christ
The Community of Saints
The People of God
The (Mystical!) Body of Christ
The Kingdom of God
The Universal Sacrament of Salvation

5. The new Israel Romans 9:6-8:
But it is not that the word of God has failed. For not all who are of Israel are Israel, nor are they all children of Abraham because they are his descendants; but “It is through Isaac that descendants shall bear your name.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants.
1 Corinthians 10:18:
Look at Israel according to the flesh; are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?

6. The Community Established by Christ
Christ grew a community of believers during His earthly ministry, from the Twelve Apostles to the Seventy Disciples to the rest of His disciples.
This community grew during and after Christ’s earthly ministry.

7. The Community of Saints
All the saints of the Church (saint means “holy one”) make up the community of the Lord.

8. The People of God
The Church is not fundamentally the buildings. The Church is the people!
1 Corinthians 3:9, “For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

9. The Mystical Body of Christ
69. Now since its Founder willed this social body of Christ to be visible, the cooperation of all its members must also be externally manifest through their profession of the same faith and their sharing the same sacred rites, through participation in the same Sacrifice, and the practical observance of the same laws. Above all, it is absolutely necessary that the Supreme Head, that is, the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, be visible to the eyes of all, since it is He who gives effective direction to the work which all do in common in a mutually helpful way towards the attainment of the proposed end. As the Divine Redeemer sent the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth, who in His name [138] should govern the Church in an invisible way, so, in the same manner, He commissioned Peter and his successors to be His personal representatives on earth and to assume the visible government of the Christian community. – Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi, 1943

10. The Kingdom of God
Who rules a Kingdom? A King.
Who are ruled by a King? His subjects.

11. Mary, Queen of Heaven
1 Kings 2:19, “Then Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and the king stood up to meet her and paid her homage. Then he sat down upon his throne, and a throne was provided for the king’s mother, who sat at his right.”
Not only does the Church have a King, but the Church also has a queen. And who was the Queen in ancient Israel?
The mother of the reigning King was the Queen in ancient Israel.
Revelation 12:1, “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman* clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”

12. The Universal Sacrament of Salvation
What is a sacrament?
CCC 1131: The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.

13. Homework
No homework

14. Act of Faith
O my God, relying on thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen.

15. Matthew 16:18-19 What’s the rock? What are these keys?
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
What’s the rock?
What are these keys?
What does binding and loosing mean?

16. The Papacy
Peter is the Rock. The keys represent the royal authority to rule and govern. Binding and loosing refers to the act of declaring actions allowed or forbidden under the Mosaic Law. In a Christian context, it roughly corresponds to the two realms of faith and morals. Whatever the Church formally declares we must believe (or not believe) in these areas, the Church declares infallibly. There is a 1:1 correspondence between what the Church teaches and what Christ in Heaven holds.

17. The Church is founded upon a profession of faith
Matthew 16:16: Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” What does this mean?

18. Peter was the visible head of the church
Isaiah 22:20-22:
On that day I will summon my servant
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe,
gird him with your sash,
confer on him your authority.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder;
what he opens, no one will shut,
what he shuts, no one will open.
Matthew 16:18-19:
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

19. The Church has power that comes from and extends to heaven
Binding and loosing among the Jews meant to forbid or allow things under the Mosaic Law.
In the Church, binding and loosing refers to forbidding or allowing things under the Law of Christ. Primarily this refers to official teaching of the Church in matters of FAITH and MORALS.
Binding and loosing can also refer to the binding and loosing of sins, like in Matthew 18:19 and John 20:23.
This can also refer to the Church’s disciplinary rules, especially those found in Canon Law.

20. The Church as Judge
Deuteronomy 19:15-18: One witness alone shall not stand against someone in regard to any crime or any offense that may have been committed; a charge shall stand only on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If a hostile witness rises against someone to accuse that person of wrongdoing, the two parties in the dispute shall appear in the presence of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and judges in office at that time, and the judges must investigate it thoroughly. Matthew 18:15-18: If your brother sins [against you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

21. From Apostles to Bishops
In Apostolic Succession, the Apostles “laid hands upon” (ordained) bishops, who then ordained their succeeding bishops, who then…etc., etc. The role of bishops is to teach, sanctify, and govern.
Rome Antioch Alexandria Ephesus Peter Peter Peter Paul Linus Evodius Mark Onesimus Anacletus Ignatius Anianus Gaius

22. Human and Divine
The Church is both human and divine. Who else is also both human and divine?
Jesus
The Church
Human
Divine
Exists in time
Infallible
Exists on earth
Spotless
Made up of men
Eternal
Her members may (and do) sin
Universal
Founded by Jesus

23. Activity Book, p. 2 The Church of Christ
1) Read Matthew 16:16-19 in which Jesus says he will build his Church. What do we know about the Church from this passage?
– We know that the Church is willed, founded, and built by Christ. It is therefore of divine origin. It is not like any other human society or community, which are man-made. It is a supernatural mystery.
2) What role would Peter have in this Church?
– Peter would be leader of the Church.
3) Why do you think Jesus gave his authority to Peter in front of the other Apostles?
- Jesus gave his authority to Peter in front of the Apostles so that all would know that the authority comes directly from Jesus.

24. Activity Book, p. 2 The Church of Christ
4) In Matthew 18:17, Jesus speaks again of his Church. What role will the Church have according to this passage?
– The Church has the role of final judge and arbiter.
5) Is the Church merely a human institution?
– The Church is not merely a human institution, but of divine origin and led by God.
6) Is the Church only divine?
– The Church is both divine and human since it is also made up of human beings.

25. Homework
Write a one page paper (2 paragraphs) about one of the ways of understanding the Church. Provide details and explain what it means to you.

26. Act of Faith
O my God, relying on thy infinite goodness and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen.