"But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9).
The terms "church" and "catholic church" are widely misunderstood by Christians and non-Christians alike. The aim of this post* is to spotlight the two; in order to make known the foundation, authority, and mission of, as well as the means for, the Catholic Church to accomplish the salvation of Christ in the world. You will Know the Truth and the Truth will set you free (John 8:32). Follow me!
1. DEFINITIONS
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:4-5).
Church
The word "Church" (with capital "C") is :
(1) the mystical body of Christ, in which and through which, the salvation of the world is fulfilled. Through baptism one is joined to this body, and also becomes a means of salvation to those who are yet to believe. (1 Corinthians 12 :12-13)
(2) the universal community of all those who believe in Jesus Christ and follow his teachings (Revelation 12:17). This includes the Pilgrim Church - on earth, the Suffering Church - in purgatory, and the Triumphant Church - in heaven.
The word "church" (with minor "c") is:
(1) a congregation (gathering) of people in the name of Christ and for the purpose of teaching, worship or prayer - Christ is present with them. (Matthew 18:20)
(2) a building dedicated and consecrated to the fellowship of Christians and the worship of God - that is, the temple of God. This meaning extends to the human beings, and designates the human being as the true temple of God. (Hebrews 3:5-6; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:20-22).
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| POPE FRANCIS AND THE DOVE |
Catholic Church
The "Catholic Church" or universal church is the totality of those who believe, and those who will come to believe, in Jesus Christ - as the Savior of the world - and follow his teachings. This include:
(1) The Roman Catholics and other Christians - who remain obedient to, and proclaim Christ, in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, who is successor to St Peter and Pope of the Catholic Church.
(2) The Protestants who share in the same baptism and succession from the Apostles with the Roman Catholics.
(3) The Jews who are originally chosen by God, but are yet to accept Christ as the Messiah.
(4) The others - like Muslims - who believe in the Supreme God, but have not yet experienced the communion of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
(5) The pagans or adherents to tribal gods, who still lack communion with the Supreme God whom they acknowledge, but passively.
Therefore, the Catholic Church is greater than what people commonly consider it to be. Its definition is so true and fitting because her vocation is to bring both the Good News and the baptism of Christ to all the nations (Mark 16:15-16). And the world will not end until this mission is accomplished (Matthew 24:14).
2. FOUNDATION
"And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it." (Matthew 16:18). "You, too, are built upon the foundation, that is, the apostles and prophets; the cornerstone being Christ Jesus himself.. (Ephesians 2:20).
The Catholic Church was established by Jesus Christ on his twelve Apostles, and the Prophets who announced his coming as the Messiah and prepared the way for him. And Jesus Christ, himself, is the unshakable Cornerstone of the Church. (Revelation 21 : 14; Matthew 16 : 18 - 19; Ephesians 2:20 -22).
The Vatican is the seat of the Catholic Church. The Pope is sovereign and is the successor of St Peter, while the Bishops are the successors to the other Apostles. Since 13 March, 2013, Pope Francis - the 266th Pontiff or 265th successor of St Peter - is the head of the Catholic Church. This is the sole Church founded by Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18-19); and which is professed in the Creed to be: one, holy, catholic and apostolic - these are the four marks of the Catholic Church.
(1) The church is one: This means the existence of one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one body (in Christ), one Spirit and one hope to the Salvation of Christ (Ephesians 4:3-6). Thus the finality of the Church is to bring all humanity back to God as one people (Ephesians 2:14-16).
(2) The church is holy: This signifies the holiness of God who created the Catholic Church as an instrument of holiness. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ - perpetuated in the Holy Mass - purifies and sanctifies the Church (Luke 22:19); which is vivified, empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). The catholic church is, thus, a community of sinners - in varying degrees - who are walking to the holiness, through Christ Jesus (1 Peter 1:13-16).
(3) The Church is catholic (universal): This means that the Catholic Church proclaims the fullness of the faith in Christ, has all the means of salvation (Matthew 16:18-19), and the vocation to reach out to all humanity (Mark 16:15-16).
(4) The Church is apostolic: This means that the Catholic Church is founded on the twelve Apostles (Revelation 21:14, Ephesians 2:20), and has both the merits of infallible Truth and of invincible power (Matthew 16:18-19).
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| POPE FRANCIS |
3. SYMBOL
"As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles; but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:23-24)
The symbol of the Catholic Church is the Crucifix. This is a cross, or image of a Cross, with the figure of Christ crucified on it - the Crucifix is the representation of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The Crucifix symbolizes the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross to take away sins (Romans 5:10) , to destroy the power of Satan (Colossians 2:15), to open the gates of heaven (Matthew 27:51), and to accomplish God's will of salvation (John 19:30) to the world. From his Wounds poured out the blood that sealed the New and Everlasting Covenant of God with us (Hebrews 12:24), and cleanses and heals the wounds of the Church (Isaiah 53:5).
The Crucifix serves to constantly remind the faithful of the price which Christ paid for their salvation. It provides a direct means of meditation into the love and compassion of God, in order to obtain the rewards of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross - namely, repentance, confession and conversion.
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| CRUCIFIX |
4. MISSION
"He said to them, “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned" .(Mark 16:15-16)
The Church which was founded by Christ on the Apostles and prophets (Matthew 26:18-19), became alive at the Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) - the day when she received the sanctification and power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) to pursue her mission of evangelism and baptism to the whole world (Mark 16:15-16). In the fulfillment of her mission the Church has, as duty:
(1) to foster the teaching and prophetic ministry of Christ, by the proclamation and testimony of the Word of God, for the conversion and salvation of sinners.
(2) to offer the Eucharist sacrifices (Holy Mass) for the remittance of sins and the salvation of the Church.
(3) to administer the sacraments in order to sanctify, heal, bless and protect, the faithfuls; and to foster the vocations in the Church.
(4) to manage and preserve the spiritual and temporary goods of the Church.
The finality of the mission of the Church is to unify all humanity as one people - to live in peace with each other and in total communion with the Holy Spirit in God, through Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:14-18).
5. AUTHORITY
"Jesus drew near and said to them, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:18-19)
So to fulfill her mission, the Church takes her authority from:
(1) The Scriptures: This is the written Word of God - it is composed of the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Holy Bible. Everything that the Church teaches and does takes its roots from the Bible. (John 1:1-5,14)
(2) The Magisterium: This is the body of the Church's official interpretation of the Scriptures for the fulfillment of salvation of the world. This magisterium contains the official teachings of the Church - based on the scriptures - which have the merit of infallible truth (Matthew 16:19).
(3) The Church Tradition: This tradition which constitutes the rites and practices of Jesus Christ and his Apostles (John 21:25), was alive in the early Church, and was handed down to this day - though being modified and enriched from time to time by the council of bishops sitting under the pope, as the Vatican councils.
(4) The Papal Exhortations: The pope's encyclicals or statements of position and direction on matters of crucial interest to Church are binding. (Matthew 16:19)
6. MEANS
"I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19).
The Catholic Church has received, and uses, the following means to accomplish her mission to the world:
(1) Holy Scriptures: She proclaims the Word of God - in Truth - to enlighten, convert and empower the world, to live in full communion with God, through Christ (John 1:1-5; Hebrews 4:12).
(2) Holy Eucharist: She offers, everyday, the sacrifice of the Holy Mass - for the remittance of sins, the sanctification of the Church and the salvation of the world (Luke 22:19-20).
(3) The Sacraments: She administers the seven sacraments to the faithful to be channels of grace for sanctification and healing; or the fulfillment of the different vocations in the Church. (Matthew 28:19)
(4) Faith Symbols: The Church provides faith symbols, such as the Crucifix - to serve as the means of meditation into the mysteries of the salvation of Christ - and by which the faithful obtains the benefits of his merits (John 3:14-15).
(5) Sacramentals - such as chaplets of the Holy Rosary, Divine Mercy, Precious Blood, Holy Spirit, are used as meditation tools to obtain the benefits of the merits of Christ's salvation.
(6) Material Resources: The material structures, buildings and institutions of the Church are essential for it to fulfill its mission to the world.
(7) Human Resources: The clergy, the religious and the laity - endowed with different spiritual and temporary gifts - constitute the human resources of the Catholic Church. Through them Christ works in various ways to accomplish his mission of salvation in the Church. (1 Peter 4:10).
7. LAITY
"Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5).
As the scripture says, all Christians are baptized into the priestly, prophetic and kingly mission of Christ. The baptized partake in the life and mission of the Church, through their faith and actions in faith, their obedience and submission to the authority and teaching of the Church, their fellowship and sacrifices, as well as their active participation in the spiritual and temporary works of the Church.
As priests, prophets and kings, the laity join the clergy in the celebrations of the Eucharist, the proclamation of the Truth of the gospel in their different church groups, families, Christian communities. The laity are, especially, called to bear testimony of the Word of God and of the Catholic Faith in the world in which they live and work every day.
The lay faithful, exercise their priesthood, prophetship and kingship, in tolerance and love of one another - considering every human weakness as a temporary condition. They are called to help each other, to care for the priests and the consecrated, to contribute to the spiritual and material development of the Church, to pray for the Church and the heirachy of the Church, to pray for all Christians and non-Christians, to pray for the whole world - and, especially, to pray for the conversion of other sinners.
8. OPPOSITIONS
"The dragon was furious with the woman and went off to fight against the rest of her descendants, all those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to the truth revealed by Jesus." (Revelation 12:17).
The dissensions and divisions in the Catholic Church started right from the time of the Apostles (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). This is happening under the remote control of the devil, who from the very beginning opted to fight against the children of Mary - who are the followers of Christ. (Revelation 12:17)
These dessensions, divisions, conflicts - and even accusations among Catholics, protestants, pentecostals and the new age prophetic churches. This division is and accusations against the Catholic Church is currently being promoted by the antichrists or the false prophets of the this end time (Matthew 24:24), with the aim to lure Catholics away and ruin the Church.
This opposition is very active in the human being, who is the temple of God - the conflict of the flesh against the Spirit (Galatians 5:17-21) - and this is the origin of all oppositions, conflicts and divisions in the Church and in the world. Therefore, all Catholics andl other true Christians are called to permanently submit to the Holy Spirit in order to overcome the flesh. Then they can be able to unite in Christ to pray for the unity of the Church - as the body of Christ (John 17:11,22).
9. ECUMENISM
"There is one God and Father of all people, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all." (Ephesians 4:6)
The prayer for, and the promotion of, the unity of the Catholic Church is known as ecumenism. Join the movement with the other believers to help in the process of the unity of the body of Christ. Respect them and pray for them, but do NOT worship with them.
Non-Catholics would enter into greater communion with Christ, and receive more grace by coming to the Roman Catholic Church.. But Catholics who leave to join other churches lose grace by forfeiting their full communion with Christ Jesus. Catholics who had left to worship in other churches before coming back can testify that this is true.
The Roman Catholic Church is the sole church founded by Jesus Christ; and which proclaims the fullness of the Truth in the gospel of Christ, and provides the full means of salvation in the sacrifice of the Eucharist and the administration of the sacraments.
10. INTERNATIONALISM
"For Christ himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people. With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies. He abolished the Jewish Law with its commandments and rules, in order to create out of the two races one new people in union with himself, in this way making peace." (Ephesians 2:14-15)
As globalization is working to create and a global economy, so Internationalism, can work to create a global culture of faith, hope and love in Christ - who is the full revelation of the one Supreme God - whom all nations acknowledge and look for, but whom many do not yet know. This would be accomplished not only by preaching, but by the actual witnessing - by Christians - of the Truth and power of the Word of God in the world (Acts 1:8).
11. TRIBULATIONS
"Jesus got into a boat, and his disciples went with him. Suddenly a fierce storm hit the lake, and the boat was in danger of sinking. But Jesus was asleep.The disciples went to him and woke him up. “Save us, Lord!” they said. “We are about to die!” “Why are you so frightened?” Jesus answered. “What little faith you have!” Then he got up and ordered the winds and the waves to stop, and there was a great calm". (Matthew 8:23-27).
The tribulations, just as the oppositions, in the Church are either personal in the life of the faithful or collective in the life of the whole Church, or in a particular congregation, community or institution of the Church. So do not be frightened or discouraged by the trials and tribulations around you - the troubles and challenges you face or the scandals, abuses, shortcomings and upheavals you see in the Catholic church.
Instead, stand in your faith and pray for the church as a body, pray for the clergy as individuals, pray for all Christians and non-Catholics, and leave the rest to God. And as the scripture says, people of faith are seeing his miracles everyday in the Church, and the Church as the boat of salvation shall never sink or capside - because Jesus Christ is fully in charge. If you jump out of the boat you will perish.
12. VICTORY
"And on that cross Christ stripped the spiritual rulers and authorities of their power; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession. (Colossians 2:15).
"They won the victory over him (the dragon) by the blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they proclaimed; and they were willing to give up their lives and die." (Revelation 12:11)
So as Jesus Christ had conquered Satan on the Cross, the victory of the faithful and of the Church against sins, temptations to sin, the oppositions and tribulations of life, and against Satan and his schemes, is sure. The strategies are : the proclamation and testimony of Word of God, the deployment of the blood of Jesus, and the application of undying faith - in prayers and actions. This calls us to faithfully exploit the infinite merits of the Eucharist Sacrifice (Luke 22:19-20), and the Crucifixion meditation and prayer (1 Corinthians 1:23-24; John 3:14-15).
13. SALVATION
"Then many false prophets will appear and fool many people. Such will be the spread of evil that many people's love will grow cold. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved.(Matthew 24:11-13).
Salvation is the reward for persevering in the Faith - while employing the means of salvation and deploying the weapons of victory - to overcome temptations, sins and oppositions and tribulations, for the individual and for the Church.
This is the ultimate price - the hope of every true Christian, and those who are yet to be converted. Now that you are rich in your knowledge of the Church, of its mission, and of the means to its mission, may the application of your faith take you closer to the victory of Salvation, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.
*Resources:: (1) Good News Bible (2) Catechism of the Catholic Church
Author: Aying Godman, is a Catechist, Evangelist & Blogger of the Roman Church; Founder of CATHOLIC FRONT - "The Catholic Front Line Community™" Email: ayinggodman@gmail.com
Copyright (c) Aying Godman - Catholic Front Media (2021-2022) All rights reserved.
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