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The Church

The Church. Carrying on Christ’s Mission. The Seed of the Church. Did Jesus found a Church to carry on His mission? Indeed, Scripture confirms that He did, “And, I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church” Mt. 16:18.

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The Church

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  1. The Church Carrying on Christ’s Mission

  2. The Seed of the Church • Did Jesus found a Church to carry on His mission? • Indeed, Scripture confirms that He did, “And, I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church” Mt. 16:18. • Jesus founded one Church and He set Peter at the head of the Church. • But how did the role of Peter form the great position of the Pope that we hold to today? • We can also ask if Jesus intended to have a hierarchy (structure) within the Church at all? • For this answer we have to look back at Jesus’ Jewish roots and the Old Testament.

  3. The Royal Court • Remember that a Jewish expectation of the Messiah was for him to be “The King of the End”. • A “King” implies a Kingdom and the Jews were expecting the Messiah to restore the glory of the Kingdom of Israel. • But, what was the Kingdom of Israel like? How was it structured? King Queen Mother Prime Minister

  4. The Absent King • The Book of Kings describes the special role of the Queen Mother of Israel, she was enthroned next to her son the King and was very influential in the Kingdom (See I Ks. 11:19, 15:13, 2 Ks. 10:13, etc.). • Obviously there is a parallel here with the Blessed Mother, who has a special intercessory role with Christ, her Son and our King. • When the King was absent from the Kingdom it was the Prime Minister who ruled the Kingdom in his stead. • We see the role of the Prime Minister clearly in the Book of Isaiah 22:20-22, where the Prime Minister is being replaced: • “… and I will cloth him with your robe, and bind your girdle upon him, and will commit your authority to his hands … And I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David, he shall open and none shall shut; and he shall shut and none shall open.

  5. Coincidence or Divine Providence? Matthew 16:18-19 “And, I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church and the powers of death will not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” Isaiah 22:20-22 “…and I will clothe him with your robe, and bind your girdle upon him, and will commit your authority to his hands … And I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David, he shall open and none shall shut; and he shall shut and none shall open. • Jesus is very closely quoting the Old Testament and setting up Peter in the very important role of Prime Minister over the Church.

  6. From Temple to Church The glory of Israel was shown in and through the Temple, which was God’s footstool in the world. Solomon builds the Temple to exact specifications in I Kings 6-8 – what did Jesus think of the Temple?

  7. Jesus and the Temple The Temple was integral to Jesus’ public ministry and played a central role in the narrative of the Gospels. Mt. 21:12 – Jesus drives out the moneychangers Mk. 12:35 – Jesus teaching in the Temple Jesus and the Temple are mentioned 13 times in the New Testament … here are a few key examples … Jn. 2:19 – “Destroy this Temple …” Jn. 8:59 – “they picked up stones to throw…” Lk. 2:27 – Prophet Simeon identifies the Christ Child Mt. 27:51 – “the curtain of the Temple was torn …”

  8. So What? • Ok … Jesus spent time in the Temple … what’s the point? • Well, let’s look at the meaning of what He is doing. • He is revealed as Messiah for the 1st time in the Temple. • He cleanses the Temple from false idols (moneychangers). • He infuses the Temple with true teaching. • The passion is predicted for the 1st time in the Temple. • At His death the curtain is torn from top to bottom. It is clear that Jesus is inaugurating a new Temple – the Church

  9. Architecture • Most Churches built before the 1960s were built in the shape of a Cross. • Architectural elements included: • The Nave – the space where the congregation sat or stood. • The Transepts – an area for devotionals and side altars. • The Choir – the place which separated clergy from laity. • The Apse – the place where the Altar was installed. • Other architectural elements included: • Stained glass windows • Flying buttresses • Arches • Statues, Carvings, etc.

  10. Art and Music • Music was always a necessary part of worship. • Jewish chant was carried over into Christian worship. • Later, under Pope Gregory the Great, Gregorian Chant: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHFKBj9o4Qs • At the height of Church music was polyphony, as demonstrated by this example: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtJvtk6EHZE • Some modern hymns maintained the beauty of classic Christian music, while at the same time encouraging participation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deJDkU6qiGE • As Church architecture was meant to draw the mind toward God, so too Church art was meant to educate and inspire. • The earliest Christian art was in the catacombs and depicted Christ and the saints. • As art developed, so did Church art, major periods included: • Middle Ages • Renaissance • Early Modern

  11. Ordained Ministry • The authority of the bishops is played out in the local life of the Church through the priesthood and diaconate. • Priest – “a man for others.” (Karol Cardinal Wojtyla [JPII]). • He also does this through the celebration of all the other sacraments, in his preaching, teaching, and his example of life. • The priest’s example is very important as well, for he lives out the evangelical counsels: poverty, chastity, and obedience. The E.C.s are vows taken by priests and religious in order to more perfectly follow in the footsteps of Christ. Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom “From the rising of the sun to its setting may the Name of the Lord be blessed.” Ps. 113:3

  12. Why Men Alone? • The Catholic Church is one of the only Christian denominations which maintains an all-male clergy. Some accuse the Church of being sexist by prohibiting women to be ordained. • Our task therefore, is to look at the meaning of the Catholic priesthood and its relationship to Christ’s priesthood so as to understand and appreciate the Church’s teaching.

  13. Christ, Priesthood & Sexuality • To understand Christ, priesthood and sexuality properly we have to correct a modern misconception about sexuality. • Many in the modern world believe that sexuality is something you do; they reduce sexuality to the physical act of sexual intercourse. • This attitude is completely wrong! Sexuality is not something you do, it is who you are! • Your masculinity impacts every word you speak, every thought you have, and every action you perform. • So too Jesus’ masculinity impacted everything that He did including His priesthood. • As we have seen, Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross was His supreme priestly work. • In reality, Jesus is the only priest because it was He Who offered the only acceptable sacrifice to God.

  14. In Persona Christi • All priests share their priesthood through Christ’s priesthood. • The priest stands “In Persona Christi”/”In the Person of Christ” when celebrating the sacraments. Christ makes His priesthood visible through the priest. • Because the priest stands in the Person of Christ and because of the consistent Tradition of the Church; a priest need be a man to be a priest. • Jesus as God-Man & High Priest (See Heb. 14:14) intimately bound His priesthood to His masculinity and chose of His own free will 12 men to carry on His priestly ministry. • This is the unchangeable teaching of Christ and the Church.

  15. Why Celibacy? • Because of the modern world’s misperceptions concerning sexuality they often do not understand the Church’s teaching on priesthood and celibacy. • Celibacy among the clergy of the Church is an ancient practice going back to the Gospels and Christ’s own teaching, “… there are those who make themselves eunuchs (abstinence from sex and marriage) for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.” Mt. 19:12 • Christ Himself taught that there are those who are called by God to a life of sexual abstinence so as to totally focus on the work of God. • Therefore, the early Church highly prized its unmarried and celibate clergy. This tradition was so influential in building up the early Church that it became a required discipline of the Western Church in the 4th century.

  16. The Diaconate • Diakonia = to serve. Deacons are ordained in Acts 6:5-6. • The job of the deacon is to assist the priest during the liturgy through the proclamation of the Gospel and occasional preaching. • The deacon may also baptize, take the Eucharist to the sick, witness the sacrament of marriage, officiate at funeral services, and to administer sacramentals. • There are two types of deacons: • Transitional • Permanent

  17. Sacraments: Privileged Encounters with Christ • Since the teaching of Christ is primarily handed on in and through the sacraments, we must now discuss the 7 sacraments. • The sacraments are visible and efficacious signs of God’s invisible grace, instituted by Christ to bring about holiness and virtue in His people – the Church. • In the sacraments we receive God’s grace, which is a free gift from God of His own Divine Life dwelling within us. This grace is not earned by us, rather God makes His grace freely available through the sacraments.

  18. Sacraments & Signs • Everything we do as human beings is physical, so it should be no surprise that God works through the sacraments in physical signs and symbols. • Let’s look at the physical elements that accompany each sacrament: Confirmation – laying on of hands, anointing with Chrism, and the words, “Be sealed…” Matrimony – the mutual consent of the couple through the exchange of vows. Baptism = water & the words, “I baptize you in the Name of the Father …” Reconciliation – the words of absolution, “I absolve you of your sins …” Holy Orders – laying on of hands and the prayer of consecration. Eucharist – wheat bread, grape wine and the words of consecration. Anointing of the Sick – anointing w/ the oil of the sick and the prayer of the priest.

  19. The Unity of the Sacraments • The sacraments draw the Church into communion/common union. • The Church as “one” is one of the four “marks of the Church”. • The unity of the Church is reflected in several ways: • Worship • Teaching • Hierarchy • Sacraments • Social Action (charitable programs)

  20. Holy and Catholic • Another mark of the Church, is that the Church is “holy”. • The Church is holy, that is, “set apart”, only because of the constant Presence of the Holy Spirit and the headship of Christ. • The holiness of the Church in Christ and the Holy Spirit is meant be constantly call the members of the Church to constant conversion and holiness. The Church is not holy because of us but because of God. • The Church is “Catholic” or “universal”. • This is for two reasons: • The teachings and mission of Christ are for all peoples and all ages. • The mission of the Church is a universal mission to all peoples and ages. • The purpose of the Church is to brings the Gospel of Christ to the entire world.

  21. Apostolic • The last mark of the Church is “apostolic”. • The Church was founded upon the apostles and carried on by their successors, the bishops. • The apostolic foundations of the Church and the unbroken apostolic succession ensure the accurate handing on of the teachings of Christ. • No other major Christian denomination (besides Eastern Orthodoxy) can claim apostolic origins and teaching. The 1st Ecumenical Council of Nicaea

  22. Catholic – not just Roman! • The travels of the Apostles and their encounters with other ethnicities and cultures led to different expressions of Christianity – • the various “Rites” of the Church.

  23. The Eastern Catholic Churches • The Liturgies of the Eastern Churches are very different from the Roman Catholic Liturgy (Missal of Paul VI). • But in essentials all Catholic Liturgies are the same, they all have: • Liturgy of the Word • Intercessions • The Creed and Our Father • The Liturgy of the Eucharist. • Here are some examples of Eastern Liturgies: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwQYFwRU1Tk&list=UUN941DIz7s35Ob_a7fiMx6A&index=12 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUT1PGu4O7A • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iY4yk3Y1QA

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