The Church: From

Christ to the Apostles

It all began with Jesus!
Right from the beginning of the
ministry of Jesus, the Church was
already taking shape. Intimately
linked with Jesus and his saving
mission was the community of
disciples that would continue that
mission until the present time.
Jesus Christ
From the time on, Jesus began to
proclaim this theme: “Reform your
lives! The kingdom of heaven is at
hand…” He taught in their
synagogues, proclaimed the good
news of the Kingdom and cured the
people of every disease and illness…
The great crowds that followed Him
came from Galilee, the Ten Cities,
Jerusalem and Judea and from
across the Jordan. (Mt. 4:17,23,25)
 Jesus’ Message and Mission
A. The Kingdom of God is at hand – the rule
of a Father is rich in mercy and love.
- He called on people to change their ways
(metanoia)
- He spoke in parables to tell His audience
that God’s rule would mean fullness of life
(plentiful harvest), an undeserved gift
which asked for receptivity and joyful
commitment (wheat, pearl of great price,
treasure in the field), it will surely grow
beyond what we could imagine (wheat
growing secretly, mustard seed) and that
God’s transforming power would surely
make things happen in the midst of human
life (leaven in the dough)
B. Jesus told his hearers to ask for forgiveness, to
pray without ceasing, addressing God as “Abba,
Father!” with the trust the He would answer their
prayers.
- He told them to share and serve – God’s rule is a
rule of love where no one is found wanting.
- He spoke of the Kingdom as God’s desire to make
everyone His children enjoying fully His love.
C. Jesus’ deeds prove the
truth of His preaching.
- His healing miracles reveal a
God of love and
compassion.
- The good news of God’s
reign come upon the poor
and needy. God is serious
indeed in restoring life and
wholeness to His children.
D. Jesus lived a humble life.
- Jesus led a lifestyle that pointed
to the passing value of wealth,
fame and worldly power. As he
was born poor, so did he live and
die poor.
- His total devotion to God’s will
was shown in his prayer, his was
a life that sought first the
kingdom of God and all other
things besides.
E. People were attracted and willing to follow
Jesus.
- The Kingdom of God that Jesus preached
started to show itself in a gathered and
renewed people.
- Communities began to allow God to rule their
lives.
 Jesus Calls the Twelve

• The 12 Apostles were chosen by Jesus to be His

disciples – they became eye-and-ear witnesses to
His words and deeds.
• Their number corresponds to the 12 Tribes of
Israel, a number that meant total or universal.
 The Twelve
1. Simon (Peter) 7. Matthew
2. James 8. Thomas
3. John 9. James, son
of Alphaeus
4. Andrew 10. Jude
Thaddeus
5. Philip 11. Simon the
Cananean
6. Bartholomew 12. Judas
Iscariot
 PETER
Peter was
handpicked by
Jesus to be his
“brothers’
strength”, the
“rock” upon which
Christ was “to build
his Church” (Mt.
16:18)
 The Church
• The disciples were to be the nucleus, the
seed from which the Church would grow.
• The Church is a community called
together by God – a community of love
whose source is the Father who sent
Christ to be our Redeemer in the unity of
the Holy Spirit.
• Church – Banal na Iglesya (Filipino),
Iglesia (Spanish), Ekklesia (Greek) –
meaning “a people called together”.
• Greek– kyriake; Hebrew – kuriakon = that
pertains to/belongs to the Lord.
The mystery of the holy
Church is manifest in its
very foundation. The Lord
Jesus set it on its course
by preaching the Good
News, that is, the coming
of the Kingdom of God,
which, for centuries, had
been promised in the
Scriptures: "The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom
of God is at hand“. In the
words of Christ, in his
works and in his presence
this Kingdom reveals itself
to men and women.
 The Church as a Community

• The Church is a community of disciples that came

as a natural result of Jesus’ mission to proclaim
the good news.
• Her reason for being is to continue the mission of
Christ.
• Indeed, a community of peoples (disciples and
apostles) who are called and sent.
Pentecost: The Birth of the Church
• In the Upper Room on
the eve of Pentecost, the
Apostles must have been
praying their hearts out!
Though tense, confused,
and fearful for their very
lives, they followed
Jesus’ instructions and
waited prayerfully (Cf.
Acts 1:12)
• They experienced the
coming of the Holy Spirit
who transformed them into
courageous prophets and
witnesses to the Good
News of salvation in Jesus.
The crowd that attended
the feast became a
community made even
more united by constant
proclamation of the Word,
celebration of worship, and
witness to Christ’s service.
• What images and experiences are often
associated with the Holy Spirit?
• What do you think do those images say about
how the Holy Spirit works in the life of an
individual and of communities?
The Coming of the Spirit
Read Acts 2: 1-13
• Seven weeks after the Passover is the Jewish
Feast of Weeks, which is known as Pentecost,
meaning the fiftieth day after the Passover.
This was a Jewish harvest time festival, one of
the annual feasts in Israel. The Feat of
Pentecost is a Christian adaptation of the
fiftieth day feast celebrating Moses’ reception
of the Law on Mt. Sinai. As Moses ascended
and returned with the gift of the Law, Jesus
ascended and sent the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• The gift of the Spirit on Pentecost signaled the
beginning of the Church’s mission. It marked
the beginning of a new stage in salvation
history.
• Luke presented the Holy Spirit as the driving
force in the proclamation of the message that
Christ had died and had risen.
• The Pentecost Spirit is
the prime mover of the
mission of the Church
to the whole world.
The Spirit enables the
Good News to be
preached to all
regardless of
nationality, race and
language.
• The Pentecost Spirit of God
is the source of the
strength to endure
persecution. He remains to
be the force in the
missionary efforts to spread
the Gospel. He forms the
followers of Jesus into
enthusiastic bearers of
salvation as the new People
of God
• With the descent of the Holy Spirit upon
them, the apostles were emboldened to
proclaim the message of salvation as they
were fully converted to faith in Christ. Peter
preached on the day of Pentecost. So
powerful was his witness and proclamation
that many accepted the faith and were
baptized. The Pentecost event opened the
door to the Church’s mission to the whole
world.
• The Church proclaims
that with the sending of
the Holy Spirit, the
apostolic Church was
born. As both sign and
instrument of salvation
, the Church is the
principal agent of
evangelization. She
continues to bring the
work of Christ to
completion.
 Church Teaching:
CFC no. 1349
• 1349. The first great “living” work of the Holy
Spirit, the “Giver of Life,” is the Church. The
word “Church” means “that which pertains to
the Lord.” Therefore, the best way to
introduce the Church’s nature and mission is
to focus on Christ. “Christ is the light of all
nations, and it is by proclaiming his Gospel to
every creature that the light of Christ, which
shines out visibly from the Church, may be
brought to all men” (LG 1).
 Church Teaching:
CFC no. 1349
• For the Church is none other than that
community of men and women “who, united
in Christ, and guided by the Holy Spirit, press
onwards towards the Kingdom of the Father
and are bearers of a message of salvation
intended for all men” (GS 1).
 Church Teaching:
CFC no. 1272
• How to Discern the Holy Spirit?
– First Step
• Where do we look for the Holy Spirit?
– The “within”, we experience the Holy Spirit in our
own thoughts and feelings.
– The interpersonal experiences we have with family
and friends.
– Our work and our social life in the community and
in the parish.
 Church Teaching:
CFC no. 1273
• How to Discern the Holy Spirit?
– First Step
• What is the Spirit doing?
• He animates “what we do” in following Christ
the Son.
• He inspires our living according to “who we
are” as sons and daughters of our Father.
• The Spirit unites us with the Risen Christ and
with one another in Christ’s Church.
 Church Teaching:
CFC no. 1276
• How to Discern the Holy Spirit?
– Second Step
• Difficulties in recognizing the Holy
Spirit.
–Due to the Spirit Himself, because He
has no shape or form.
 Church Teaching:
CFC no. 1276
• How to Discern the Holy Spirit?
– Second Step
• Difficulties in recognizing the Holy
Spirit.
–Comes from our human limitations.
 Church Teaching:
CFC no. 1277
• First, in thinking about the Spirit. Unlike Christ and
the Father, the Spirit is not something objective, “in
front of us” as it were, but
rather within our subjective experience.
• It is more like becoming conscious of the Holy Spirit’s
presence in the deepest level of our hearts, our loob.
• Christ promised his disciples at the Last Supper
the Spirit of truth whom “you can recognize because
He remains with you and will be within you” (Jn
14:17).
 Church Teaching:
CFC no. 1278
• A second “limitation” which impedes recognizing the
Spirit is our self-centered tendency to seek
extraordinary spiritual gifts.
• We Filipinos seem especially attracted to ecstasies,
miracles, visions, and prophecies. This fascination
can lead to many distorted notions of the Spirit. It
also obscures the more important “ordinary gifts” of
the Spirit, especially the highest gift, divine Love (cf.
Gal 5:22; 1 Cor 13).
 Church Teaching:
CFC no. 1279
• How to Discern the Holy Spirit?
– Third Step
• Overcoming the difficulties
• Where, then, can we be sure of recognizing the Holy
Spirit?
– in the Sacred Scriptures, which “make the voice of the Holy
Spirit resound in the words of the prophets and apostles” (DV
21).
– in the Sacred Tradition, which is handed down in
the Church’s ordinary teaching.
– particularly in prayer.
– Christian witnessing
 Church Teaching:
CFC no. 1279
• Guidelines on how can we discover the
actions of the Holy Spirit in our lives
• The Holy Spirit always leads to faith in Jesus Christ whom he
glorifies;
• The Holy Spirit acts always in keeping with Scripture and
Tradition showing unity, continuity and consistency;
• The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to individuals for the
service of the community: to build up the Christian
community and fellowship, and work toward overcoming
dissensions and factions (cf. 1 Cor 1:10; 3:3);
 Church Teaching:
CFC no. 1279
• Guidelines on how can we discover the
actions of the Holy Spirit in our lives
• The Holy Spirit is known by his fruits which St.Paul lists as
“love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity,
faith, mildness, and chastity” (Gal 5:22);
• The Holy Spirit is authoritatively discerned, and the proper
use of his Gifts is judged by “those who preside over the
Church whose office is not indeed to extinguish the Spirit, but
to test all things and hold fast to what is good” (LG 12).
• The Holy Spirit is found in humility: “God resists the proud,
but bestows His favor on the lowly” (Jas 4:6).
 Points for Reflection
• What truth about Christ, the Holy Spirit and
the Church in the lesson struck you as
inspiring and meaningful?

• Among the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which do I

need most? Why?