RS3 PRELIMS

Church is one, holy, Catholic & Apostolic

 4 Characteristics of the church

1. ONE
2. HOLY
3. CATHOLIC
4. APOSTOLIC

*These four characteristics, inseparably linked with each other, indicate essential features of
the Church and her mission.

*The Church does not possess them of herself; it is Christ who, through the Holy Spirit,
makes his Church one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

 The church is one

-Of the unity within the people of God. The great richness of diversity is not opposed to the
Church's unity.

1. Source - The highest exemplar and source of this mystery is the unity in the three
persons, of one God, the Father, and the Son in the Holy Spirit.

2. Founder - Jesus; "For the word made flesh, the prince, reconciled all men to God by the
cross,...restoring the unity of all in one people and one body"

3. Soul - It is the Holy Spirit, dwelling in those who believe and pervading and ruling over
the entire Church, who brings about that wonderful communion of the faithful and joins
them together so intimately in Christ who is the principle of the church's unity.

 The church is holy

-She was sanctified by Christ
-because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is hailed as "alone holy",
loves the Church as his Bride, giving himself up so as to sanctify her to join her to himself.

 The church is catholic

-The word "Catholic" means "universal" or "in keeping with the whole"

*The Church is catholic in a double sense:

1. First -The Church is Catholic because Christ is present in her. "Where there is Christ
Jesus, there is the Catholic Church" In subsists the fullness of Christ's body is united with
its head.
2. Second -The Church is Catholic because she has been sent out by Christ on a mission to
the whole of the human race

 The Church is Apostolic

-The Church is Apostolic because she is founded on the apostles, in three ways:

1. She was and remains built on "the foundation of the Apostles

2. The Church keeps and hands on the teaching, the "good deposit," the salutary words
3. She continues to be taight, sanctified, and guided by the apostles until Christ's return,
through their successors in pastoral office
Church & Mission

 The Church's Foundation

*Who founded the Iglesia ni Kristo?

-Felix Manalo
*Who founded the Ang Dating Daan Church?
-Eliseo Soriano

 Catholic Belief and Worship

*Roman Catholicism- it is the largest of the three major branches of Christianity. The Roman
Catholic Church owes its foundation and beliefs on and about the life of Jesus Christ.
-Roman Catholicism differs from other Christian churches and denominations in its beliefs
about the sacraments, the roles of the Bible and tradition, the importance of the Virgin Mary,
the saints, and the papacy.

 The Center of Roman Catholic Worship

*Eucharistic Mass
-The heart of Catholic worship; the term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word
Eucharistic, meaning thanksgiving.
-the commemoration of Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection

*Sacraments
-The seven sacraments help to make people holy and they help us nourish, strengthen, and
express our faith.

Why are we called 'Roman Catholics'?

-The name of the church is derived from its base in Rome and from a Greek term meaning
“universal.” The word Catholic refers to the wholeness of the church.

 Jesus Christ: The founder of the Church

-Jesus Christ founded the Roman Catholic Church during his earthly ministry around 30 A.D.
-Matthew’s gospel (16:18) where Jesus says, “You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my
church.” Jesus also gave him “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19)

Roman Catholic Church:

-There are two equally valid definitions of the Roman Catholic Church. Comparable to the
two-fold nature of Jesus Christ its FOUNDER, who was both human and divine
-Jesus changed the course of history forever in his short 33 years on earth.
-Jesus shattered people’s preconceived notions of what it means to be religious and believe
in God, while at the same time fulfilling ancient prophecies about the coming Messiah

Major Highlights of Jesus' life:

 Jesus' Birth
 Jesus' earthly ministry
 Peter and the apostles’ belief in Jesus as the Messiah
 Jesus’ betrayal, trial and crucifixion
 Christ’s resurrection and ascension into heaven

 The Establishment of Papal Authority

*The Primacy of Saint Peter
-Jesus set Peter apart from the other disciples during his earthly ministry around A.D. 30,
declaring his primacy in the establishment of the Catholic Church after Jesus would leave
them.
  Type of leadership Jesus expected of Peter and of every pope:
*To strengthen the entire church- Jesus says to Peter, “I have prayed that your own faith
may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.”
*To guide and care for the church- The pope must guide the church like a shepherd tending
their flock. Jesus referred to himself as the Good Shepherd and the church as his sheep in John
10:11.
*The establishment of the papacy was a key moment for the formation of the Catholic Church.
However, this moment is only one side of the coin
*The other is Peter’s connection to the Church of Rome.

 THE CHURCH –PEOPLE OF GOD (Catechism of the Catholic Church)

-God willed to make men holy and save them, not as individuals without any bond or link
between them, but rather to make them into a people who might acknowledge him and serve
him in holiness.

-He called together a race to be one not in flesh but in the Spirit.

 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD

-THE PEOPLE OF GOD IS MARKED BY CHARACTERISTICS THAT CLEARLY DISTINGUISH IT
FROM ALL OTHER RELIGIOUS, ETHNIC, POLITICAL OR CULTURAL GROUPS FOUND IN
HISTORY

*1. ONE BECOMES A MEMBER OF THIS PEOPLE NOT BY PHYSICAL BIRTH, BUT BY BEING
“BORN ANEW”- A birth “of water and the Spirit”, that is, by faith in the Christ and Baptism.

*2. THIS PEOPLE HAS FOR ITS HEAD JESUS THE CHRIST (THE ANOINTED)
-Because the same anointing, the Holy Spirit, flows from the head into the body, this is the
“messianic people”

*3. HAS DIGNITY AND FREEDOM AS THE

SONS OF GOD
-the status of this people is that of dignity and freedom of the sons of God, in whose
Hearts the Holy Spirit dwells as in a temple.

4. ITS LAW IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT TO LOVE AS CHRIST LOVED US

- Exercises the “new” law of the Holy Spirit

5. ITS MISSION IS TO BE SALT OF THE EARTH AND LIGHT OF THE WORLD

- These people are a sure seed of unity, hope and salvation for the whole human race.