Marks of the Church

Order of Christian Initiation for Adults

Class #16

The Church II (Marks of the Church)

The Holy Spirit and the Church

• Pentecost and the Sending of the Spirit.
  • CCC 767 "When the work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth was accomplished, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost in order that he might continually sanctify the Church." Then "the Church was openly displayed to the crowds and the spread of the Gospel among the nations, through preaching, was begun." As the "convocation" of all men for salvation, the Church in her very nature is missionary, sent by Christ to all the nations to make disciples of them.

Marks of the Church (Can either be motives for credibility or seen with the eyes of faith. 

One

• Ephesians 4:1-5
• One Source> Unity of the Trinity
• One founder>Jesus reconciled all men to God on the cross
• One Soul>The Holy Spirit, dwelling in those who believe, pervading and ruling over the entire Church, brings about the communion of the faithful and joins them to Christ that he is the principle of the Church’s unity. 
• Multiplicity of cultures and peoples yet unified as one. Many gifts, offices, conditions, ways of life>all unified by/in the one Church.
• The bond or principle of unity is love/charity
  • Christ commands us to love one another, for “God is love” (1 Jn 4:16), so we must “put on love, which binds everything together” (1 Cor 3:14)
• Also assured by the visible bonds of communion
  • Profession of one faith received from the Apostles (faith/creed)
  • Common celebration of divine worship>sacraments (baptism)
  • Apostolic succession through the sacrament of Holy Orders (Pope)
• Unity is given top-down, from above, by Christ>Jesus prays to his Father: “That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us… so that the world may know that you have sent me.” Unity is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit.
• Striving towards Unity
  • Solidarity, ecumenism, prayer, conversion of heart, dialogue, collaboration (consider wounds to unity)

Holy

• CCC 823 "The Church ... is held, as a matter of faith, to be unfailingly holy. This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is hailed as 'alone holy,' loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her; he joined her to himself as his body and endowed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God." The Church, then, is "the holy People of God," and her members are called "saints."
• CCC 824 United with Christ, the Church is sanctified by him; through him and with him she becomes sanctifying. "All the activities of the Church are directed, as toward their end, to the sanctification of men in Christ and the glorification of God." It is in the Church that "the fullness of the means of salvation" has been deposited. It is in her that "by the grace of God we acquire holiness.”
• John 13:34-35- 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
• Holy people are the sign of the Church’s sanctifying power received through Christ and his Spirit.
• The holy activity of the society/church indicates its property of holiness.
  • Primarily the eucharistic sacrifice and secondarily the petitionary prayer for salvation.
• Christ institutes the Church from above, Holiness is given down by Christ, incorporating us into his Holiness.
• Holiness is a property of the Church, though all her visible members are sinners.
• Holiness in the individual, manifested in corporate activity/charity.
• Universal call to holiness for all members.

Catholic (universal)

• Catholic> universal, “according to the totality” or “in keeping with the whole”>fullness of salvation. (CCC 830-831)
  • Christ is present, the Church receives the fullness of the means of salvation.
  • The Church has been sent out by Christ on mission to the whole of the human race.
• Qualitatively>whole doctrine, salvation, sacraments, obedience to the commandments, fullness of faith, healing, and end of all sins.
• Quantitatively> geographically universal, many languages, people, occupations (if good), fulfills the Bible’s promise to nations in OT and NT>to all nations
• Calls all into one people>universal call to holiness.
• The universal church is prior to the particular church> the qualitative characteristics concern the universal church, the quantitative concerns the particular.
• In the particular church, the universal church is expressed>the universal church only exists in the particular, with the primacy of peter>the authority establishes that unity/oneness
• Regarding membership
  • Roman Catholics: baptized, profess the Creed, in union with Rome. (persevere in charity to remain a member in heart, not just in body)
  • Christians who are baptized, though in imperfect communion (Orthodox)
  • Separated Brethren, baptized but do not profess the Catholic Faith, nor communion with Rome.
  • Those who have not yet received the Gospel (Jews primarily)
  • Those who acknowledge the Creator (Muslims)
  • Those who search for the God who is unknown, yet near (Buddhism/Hinduism)
• The Church is necessary for Salvation> No salvation without Christ, and we don’t know Christ without the Church.

Apostolic

• She was and remains built on "the foundation of the Apostles," the witnesses chosen and sent on mission by Christ himself; with the help of the Spirit dwelling in her, the Church keeps and hands on the teaching, the "good deposit," the salutary words she has heard from the apostles.
  • Apostolic Succession> Unbroken line of bishops going back to the original 12.
• 3 fold responsibility of bishops>teach (preaching/doctrine), sanctify (sacraments), rule (governing authority)> Matthew 28:16
• The Magisterium