ARTICLE IX

I BELIEVE IN ONE, HOLY,

CATHOLIC AND
APOSTOLIC CHURCH

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 Module 9

I believe in
the Holy
Catholic
Church
Module Overview

This module is designed to clarify the real meaning of the Church, her symbols, images
and marks. It explains further the plan of God for the Church, her role and mission in the
redemptive work of Jesus Christ and how the Church responds to the needs of the people as
“Church of the Poor”.

Objectives:

At the end of the module presentation, the participants will be able to:

1. have a deeper understanding on what a church is, as planned by God and founded by
Jesus Christ.
2. have a greater involvement in the life and mission of the Church as a member of the
Body of Christ.
3. be always grateful to God for having been chosen to numbered among the members of
the Catholic Church.

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 LOOK or SEE
Describe what you see in these pictures.
What do they convey to us?

Processing:
1. Describe what you see in the pictures.
2. What is being portrayed in these pictures?
3. What do you remember whenever you see these pictures?
4. What did you discover while looking at these pictures?

It’s wonderful to see and even experience the “community spirit” among us, Filipinos, especially
during special occasions in our families and during disasters. Showing unity and cooperation
are just few of the values that are innate in us. It comes out automatically in every person when
needed. It shows that we indeed belong to one big family, one community.

Other suggested activities:

 Picture of a family or a family gathering
 What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Church”?
 Experience of being “Church”
 News Reports: victims of calamities being helped by other people
 Pictures of missionaries, priests, lay as lectors and ministers in the church

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 LISTEN or JUDGE
Scripture: THE BODY OF CHRIST (1Cor 12:1214, 2731)

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are
one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or
Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. Now the body is not
a single part, but many.

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. Some people God has designated
in the church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then,
gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all
prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak
in tongues? Do all interpret? Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

Exploring the Text

1. What does this reading tell us?
2. Who are the members of the “Body of Christ”?
3. What is being referred to here as the “Body of Christ”?
4. Do the members receive the same gifts? Why?
5. Reflect on the gifts given to you by God as
member of “Christ’s Body. How are you using
these gifts?

 Praying the rosary together as a community

 Palm Sunday, Holy Mass
 World Mission Sunday/ Month

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 UNDERSTANDING OUR FAITH

A. WHAT IS A CHURCH?
The word "Church" (Latin ecclesia, from the Greek ek-ka-lein, to "call out of") means
convocation or an assembly. It designates the assemblies of the people, usually for a religious
purpose. Ekklesia is used frequently in the Greek
Old Testament for the assembly of the Chosen
People before God, above all for their assembly
on Mount Sinai where Israel received the Law
and was established by God as his holy people.
"Church" designates the liturgical assembly, and
also the local community or the whole universal
community of believers. The “Church” is the
People that God gathers in the whole world. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 751)
The Church is a community of men and women, united in Christ and guided by the
Holy Spirit, under the leadership of the successor of Peter and the bishops in communion
with Him. As such, “they press onward towards the Kingdom of the Father as bearers of the
message of salvation intended for all.” (Gaudet et Spes, No. 1)

B. The Church as planned by God

"The eternal Father, in accordance with
the utterly gratuitous and mysterious design of
his wisdom and goodness, created the whole
universe and chose to raise up men to share in
his own divine life," to which he calls all men in
his Son. "The Father . . . determined to call
together in a holy Church those who should
believe in Christ." This "family of God" is
gradually formed and takes shape during the stages of human history, in keeping with the
Father's plan. In fact, "already present in figure at the beginning of the world, this Church was
prepared in marvellous fashion in the history of the people of Israel and the old Advance.
Established in this last age of the world and made manifest in the outpouring of the Spirit, it will

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 be brought to glorious completion at the end of time." (Catechism
of the Catholic Church, No. 759)
God created the world for the sake of communion with his
divine life, a communion brought about by the "convocation" of
men in Christ, and this "convocation"
is the Church. The Church is the goal
of all things, and God permitted such
painful upheavals as the angels' fall and man's sin only as occasions
and means for displaying all the power of his arm and the whole
measure of the love he wanted to give the world...his intention is the
salvation of men, and it is called "the Church." (Catechism of the
Catholic Church, No. 760)
C. The Church was prepared in the Old Testament
God the Father prepared for the Church with the call of
Abraham (Gen 12:14) and the formation of the people of Israel. (Ex 19
& 20) He made a covenant with them: “If you hearken to my voice
and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to
me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be
to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” (Ex 19:56) (Catechism
of the Catholic Church, No. 762)

D. Jesus laid the foundation of the Church

God sent His only Son, Jesus, into the world to
establish the Church which came about in His different
ministries and his suffering, death and resurrection. Jesus
openly speaks of his plan o establishing His Church when
He said to Peter: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and
upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of
the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you
the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on

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earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
(Mt 16:1819)

The Church is born on the cross: “As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam's side,
so the Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 766)

E. Symbols of the Church

The Church is, accordingly, a sheepfold, the sole and
necessary gateway to which is Christ. It is also the flock of which God
himself foretold that he would be the shepherd, and whose sheep, even
though governed by human shepherds, are unfailingly nourished and
led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince of Shepherds,
who gave his life for his sheep. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No.
754)

The Church is a cultivated field, the tillage

of God. On that land the ancient olive tree grows
whose holy roots were the prophets and in which the
reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles has been brought
about and will be brought about again. That land,
like a choice vineyard, has been planted by the
heavenly cultivator. Yet the true vine is Christ who
gives life and fruitfulness to the branches, that is, to us, who through the Church remain in
Christ, without whom we can do nothing.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 755)

The Church is called the building of

God. The Lord compared himself to the stone
which the builders rejected, but which was made
into the comer-stone. On this foundation the
Church is built by the apostles and from it the

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Church receives solidity and unity. This edifice has many names to describe it: the house of God
in which his family dwells; the household of God in the Spirit; the dwelling-place of God among
men; and, especially, the holy temple. This temple, symbolized in places of worship built out of
stone, is praised by the Fathers and, not without reason, is compared in the liturgy to the Holy
City, the New Jerusalem. As living stones we here on earth are built into it. It is this holy city
that is seen by John as it comes down out of heaven from God when the world is made anew,
prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 756)

"The Church, further, which is called 'that Jerusalem

which is above' and 'our mother', is described as the spotless
spouse of the spotless lamb. It is she whom Christ 'loved and for
whom he delivered himself up that he might sanctify her.' It is she
whom he unites to himself by an unbreakable alliance, and whom
he constantly 'nourishes and cherishes.' (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, No. 767)

F. Biblical Images of the Church

1. Kingdom of God
Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God as a gift of salvation of our loving and
compassionate God. He invites all of us to share in His Kingdom. The Church, God’s Kingdom
on earth, includes the good and bad fish, the wheat and the weeds. The Church represents the
coming of the coming of the Kingdom, the Kingdom in process. (Catechism for Filipino
Catholics, No, 13771379)
2. People of God
God saves us not merely as individuals, but by calling us into a single people, united in
faith, whose:
 Head is Christ the Lord
 unifying soul is the indwelling Spirit
 members are those who believe in Christ and are reborn through water and the Spirit in
Baptism
 structure is the Christ-instituted hierarchy of apostles and their successors, the Bishops,
with the Roman Pontiff as head
 law is Christ’s new commandment of Love

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  mission is loving service of neighbour
 final destiny is sharing in the perfect community of Love, of Father, Risen Incarnate Son,
and Spirit
(Catechism for Filipino Catholics, No. 1452)

3. Body of Christ
“By communicating his Spirit to his brothers [and sisters], called together from all
peoples, Christ made them mystically into his own body” (LG 7). The Church is a real, living
body whose members are formed in Baptism into the likeness of Christ, fed in the Eucharist with
the very life of Christ their head, and animated and unified by his Spirit as its soul. Hence we see
how “Christ’s body” can mean: a) his physical body while he was on earth; b) his Eucharistic
body, by which his glorified body/Person is sacramentally present to us, and c) Mystical body of
the Church formed by all his disciples, united to him as Head and sharing his very life through
his Spirit in the visible society governed by the successors of the apostles. (Catechism for
Filipino Catholics, No. 1453)
4. The Church as the Temple of the Holy Spirit
Quoting St. Augustine, the Catechism states: "What the soul is to the human body, the
Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church." The Holy Spirit is the source of the
Church’s life, unity, gifts and special grace  given to the Church so that she may proclaim Jesus
and his message to the world, just as one cannot separate the Church from Christ neither can one
separate the Holy Spirit from the Church. An early Church Father, St. Irenaeus states: Indeed, it

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is to the Church herself that the "Gift of God" has been entrusted... In it is in her that communion
with Christ has been deposited, that is to say: the Holy Spirit, the pledge of incorruptibility, the
strengthening of our faith and the ladder of our ascent to God... For where the Church is, there
also is God's Spirit; where God's Spirit is, there is the Church and every grace. (Catechism of the
Catholic Church, No. 797)
5. The Church as the sacrament of God’s love and salvation
“The Church in this world is the sacrament of salvation, the sign and the instrument of
the communion of God and men.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 767)
6. The Church is a Eucharistic Community
As every ministry of the Church and every work of the apostolate are linked with the
Holy Eucharist and are directed towards it...all are thereby invited and led to offer themselves,
their labors and every created thing with Christ” (PO 5). Thus, the Eucharist is the unique Christ
given means for gradually transforming our everyday activities and works into meaningful
service of God and our neighbor by uniting us with Christ. (Catechism for Filipino Catholics,
No. 1668)
The Eucharist affects the building up of the Church. St. Augustine admonishes, “If you
are the body of Christ and his members, the Eucharist is your sacrament that is placed on the
Lord’s Table...You hear the words ‘Body of Christ’ and you answer ‘Amen.’ Be therefore a
member of Christ so that your ‘Amen’ can be real.” (Catechism for Filipino Catholics, No. 1720)

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 G. Marks of the Church

1. The Church is One

So that they may be all one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be
in us, that the world may believe that you sent me (Jn 17:21). The Church is one: she
acknowledges one Lord, confesses one faith, is born of one Baptism, forms only one
Body, is given life by the one Spirit, for the sake of one hope, at whose fulfilment all
divisions will be overcome. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 866)
2. The Church is Holy
The Church is holy: the Most Holy God is her author; Christ, her bridegroom, gave
himself up to make her holy; the Spirit of holiness gives her life. Since she still includes
sinners, she is "the sinless one made up of sinners." Her holiness shines in the saints; in
Mary she is already all-holy. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 867)
3. The Church is Catholic
The Church is catholic: she proclaims the fullness of the faith. She bears in herself and
administers the totality of the means of salvation. She is sent out to all peoples. She
speaks to all men. She encompasses all times. She is "missionary of her very nature"
(AG 2). (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 868)
4. The Church is Apostolic
The Church is apostolic. She is built on a lasting foundation: "the twelve apostles of the
Lamb". She is indestructible. She is upheld infallibly in the truth: Christ governs her
through Peter and the other apostles, who are present in their successors, the Pope and the
college of bishops. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 869)

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 H. Church of the Poor (PCP II 122136)
God calls us most urgently to serve the poor
and the needy, to witness the love of God in
Jesus Christ, we than need to become a “Church
of the Poor”.
What then is Church of the Poor?
The Church of the Poor is a church where
“nobody is so poor as to have nothing to give
and nobody is so rich as to have nothing to
receive.” (PCP II 98)
This preference should move us in the church to show our solidarity with those who are
marginals in society. Solidarity is a “firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the
common good, i.e. to the good of all and of each individual because we are rally responsible for
all. (SRS 38)
1. A Church that is solidarity with the poor expressed in its preferential option for the
poor. (PCP II 127130) This does not mean the exclusion of those who are rich from the
concerns of the church whose mission is universal and therefore open to all peoples of
whatever race, creed or socioeconomic background.
2. A Church where poor is not discriminated against because of their poverty. One of the
critiques against the church is the seeming commodification of the sacraments. There are
those which are “ordinary”, those which are “special”, depending on the amount paid by the
faithful. There is, for example, the special burial includes Mass for the dead or the special
wedding. Having no money, the poor would simply bury the dead without the benefit of the
Mass or live together without the Sacrament of Marriage. Recognizing the limitations, the
poor will not be deprived of their ‘right to receive in abundance the help of the spiritual
goods of the Church, especially that of the Word of God and the sacraments from the pastors.
(PCP II 128)
3. It is a Church that collaborates with the poor themselves and with others to change the
situation of poverty. Before today’s forms of exploitation of the poor, the Church cannot
remain silent. She has to denounce the injustices and oppression being done against human
dignity of the poor such us unjust demolition of houses and the stealing of land from farmers.

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 She has to act on their behalf, even when doing so will mean alienation or persecution from
the rich and the powerful. She also reminds the rich of their precise duties. Strong with the
Word of God, she condemns the many injustices which unfortunately, even today, are
committed to the detriment of the poor. (PCP II 130; 131)
4. It is a Church that works for justice and development in defence of human rights. Such
action for justice and are the inevitable consequences of a “dialogue of life” with the poor in
the country. This dialogue of life asks each one to help the poor indentify their needs and to
make them participate in the solution to their own problems.

I. Missionary Church

The Church is missionary by her very nature. PCP II 102103 states that, “The plan of
God is that the whole human race might become one People of God, form one Body of Christ
and be built up into one temple of the Holy Spirit. This plan of God points to the missionary
character of the community of disciples. The Church is a community in a state of mission. “The
Church’s very nature is missionary,” (Vatican II Ad gentes 2) having its origin in the mission
of the Son and the Holy Spirit.
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of
the age.” (Mt 28:1920)
Jesus gave them the assurance that He will be with them until the end of time. On the day
of Pentecost, He sent His Holy Spirit to His apostles as he has promised them. The Holy Spirit

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whom the apostles have experienced on Pentecost transformed them and gave them ability to
bear witness to Jesus with boldness (Acts 4:13, 29, 30). The Church opened her doors so that all
may enter. “The Church is sent on mission to proclaim the Good News of Christ and be
instrument of His grace. The Church exists to build and serve the Kingdom by permeating the
world with good values so that all creation may be united in Christ as head” (PCP II, No. 104).

The Christians are all called to mission (PCP II 116121). By virtue of our Baptism that has
gifted us with a sharing of His threefold mission as priest, prophet and king.

Values and Ministries of the Church

1. Prophetic: to teach the truths of the Catholic faith faithfully and fully.
2. Priestly: to sanctify the members of the Church especially through the celebration
of the sacraments.
3. Kingly: to govern the Church wisely as caring shepherds of God’s people.

EXTENDED CATECHESIS (with special moral issues)

 Fulfilling the prayer of Jesus: “May they be one.” (Jn 17:21)
 Difference between Eastern Orthodox Church and Western Latin Church
 Judas and Scandals in the History of the Church
 Celibacy in the Catholic Priesthood/ the question of female priests

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 LOVE or ACT
PASTORAL PRACTICE
 Celebrating our unity in the midst of diversity
 Different ministries/ apostolate in the Church (Catechesis, celebration of the Sacraments,
formation seminars, etc.)
 Street Mass/ Barangay Mass
 Support for our ministries in the Church
 Feast Day Celebrations

MODELS OF FAITH

POPE JOHN PAUL

II

ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX

VENERABLE BISHOP
OBVIAR

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  Venerable Bishop Alfredo María Obviar y Aranda
Alfredo María Obviar y Aranda was born on 29 August 1889 in Mataás na
Lupa, Lipa, Batangas to Telesforo Obviar and Florentina Catalina Aranda.
Obviar received his early religious instruction at the College of St. Francis
Xavier in Manila run by the Society of Jesus, where he graduated in 1901. He earned his degree
in Bachelor of Arts at Ateneo de Manila in 1914, and proceeded to the University of Santo
Tomas Pontifical Seminary for his theological studies.
Obviar received the sacerdotal ordination on 15 March 1919. His pastoral ministry began
that same year at Luta (now Malvar, Batangas) and he continued as vicar of the cathedral-parish
in Lipa from 1927 to 1944. In both parishes, he established Catechetical Centers in
the población and the barrios. He was also Vicar General for the Diocese of Lipa, and was
appointed as confessor and chaplain of the Carmelite Monastery of Lipa.
On March 11, 1944 Obviar was appointed as the first Auxiliary Bishop of Lipa. After 25
years in the ministry, Fr. Obviar was elevated to the episcopate on 29 June 1944, with
Archbishop Guglielmo Piani SDB, Titular Archbishop of Nicosia, Cyprus as Principal
Consecrator, and with Pedro Paulo Santos Songco, Bishop of Caceres (Naga) and César Marie
Guerrero, Titular Bishop of Limisa, Tunisia as Co-Consecrators. He also became Titular Bishop
of Linoë, Turkey from 11 March 1944 to 21 June 1959. When Linoë was an active diocese, it
was part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Nicaea.
On 22 January 1951, Obviar was installed as Apostolic Administrator of the new Diocese
of Lucena. Motivated by his great work for catechesis, he founded the Missionary Catechists of
St. Therese (MCST) on August 12, 1958. He established the Missionary Catechists of Saint
Thérèse of the Infant Jesus (MCST), with the help of Mother Mercy Medenilla, who became the
first superior of the MCST, and has four other women. The earliest monastic MCST was founded
in San Narciso, Quezon.
To compensate for the shortage of priests in the new diocese, Obviar also founded the
Mount Carmel Seminary and later turn it into the Saint Alphonsus School of Theology. The
establishment of this increased the number of priests attending from 1951 to 1975. In the year of
his retirement, it had increased by more than 100 priests. Obivar ordained Ricardo Jamin
Vidal to the priesthood on St. Patrick's Day, 17 March 1956, in Lucena; Vidal would later
become a cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Cebu.

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 From 11 October 1962 to 8 December 1962, Obviar was a Council Father at the first
Session of the Second Vatican Council.
After more than 18 years as Administrator, Obviar was declared the first diocesan
bishop of the Diocese of Lucena on July 15, 1969.
Obviar died on 1 October 1978, on the feast of his patron saint Thérèse of the Child
Jesus.
Pope Francis recognized his heroic virtues, the Vatican announced on Thursday,
November 8. Obviar is now "venerable" – which means he is two steps away from being
declared a saint. The Vatican said Pope Francis on Wednesday, November 7, authorized the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree, among others, on "the heroic
virtues of the Servant of God Alfredo Maria Obviar, first bishop of Lucena and founder of the
Congregation of the Missionary Catechists of Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus."
 Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin (2 January 1873 – 30
September 1897), also known as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, O.C.D.,
was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelite nun who is widely venerated in modern times. She is
popularly known as "The Little Flower of Jesus", or simply "The Little Flower".
Thérèse has been a highly influential model of sanctity for Catholics and for others
because of the simplicity and practicality of her approach to the spiritual life. Together with
Saint Francis of Assisi, she is one of the most popular saints in the history of the church. Pope
Saint Pius X called her "the greatest saint of modern times".
Thérèse felt an early call to religious life, and overcoming various obstacles, in 1888 at
the early age of 15, she became a nun and joined two of her elder sisters in
the cloistered Carmelite community of Lisieux, Normandy. After nine years as a Carmelite
religious, having fulfilled various offices such as sacristan and assistant to the novice mistress,
and having spent her last eighteen months in Carmel in a night of faith (the time she felt Jesus
was absent and when she even felt tormented by doubts about the existence of God), died at aged
24, following a slow and painful fight against tuberculosis.
Her feast day is 1 October in the General Roman calendar. Thérèse is well-known
throughout the world, with the Basilica of Lisieux being the second-largest place of pilgrimage
in France after Lourdes.

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  Saint Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II was born Karol Józef Wojtyla on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland.
He was ordained in 1946, became the bishop of Ombi in 1958, and became the archbishop of
Krakow in 1964. He was made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1967, and in 1978 became the first
non-Italian pope in more than 400 years. He was a vocal advocate for human rights and used his
influence to effect political change. He died in Italy in 2005. It was announced in July of 2013
that he would be declared a saint in April of the following year.
John Paul spent two years in Rome where he finished his doctorate in theology. He
returned to his native Poland in 1948 and served in several parishes in and around Krakow. John
Paul became the bishop of Ombi in 1958 and then the archbishop of Krakow six years later.
Considered one of the Catholic Church's leading thinkers, he participated in the Second Vatican
Council—sometimes called Vatican II. The council began reviewing church doctrine in 1962,
holding several sessions over the course of the next few years. As a member of the council, John
Paul helped the church to examine its position in the world. Well regarded for his contributions
to the church, John Paul was made a cardinal in 1967 by Pope Paul VI.
In 1978, John Paul made history by becoming the first non-Italian pope in more than four
hundred years. As the leader of the Catholic Church, he traveled the world, visiting more than
100 countries to spread his message of faith and peace. But he was close to home when he faced
the greatest threat to his life. In 1981, an assassin shot John Paul twice in St. Peter's Square in
Vatican City. Fortunately, he was able to recover from his injuries and later forgave his attacker.

INTEGRATION or SUMMARY
The Church is the People of God, the community of men and women who believe in
Jesus. The Church was planned by God and Jesus laid the very strong foundation, appointing
Peter, the “Rock, as head of the Church. The Church has its distinguishing marks: one, holy,
catholic and apostolic. She continues Christ’s mission of proclaiming God’s saving love, as
priest, prophet and king. All baptize persons share in this threefold mission of the Church. We do
our share in Christ’s mission through our various works, profession and actively help in the
Church missionary activities. We pray for the mission of the Church.

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 PERSONAL REFLECTION
1. What is a church?
2. How was the church planned by God?
3. How did God prepare the Church in the Old Testament?
4. In what way did Jesus lay the foundations of the Church?
5. Why the Church is called the “Body of Christ”?
6. How are you, as a member of the Church, being a part of the “Body of Christ”? What part
of the “Body of Christ” are you? How are you functioning as part of this body?
7. What is the “Church of the Poor”? How are you living and witnessing it as a member of
Christ?

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 PRAYER or WORSHIP
As one People of God, we...
 actively participate in the Holy Mass and other liturgical celebrations as a community.
 pray together as a family for the saving mission of the Church.
 pray for the other member of the Church, the souls in purgatory and our needy brothers
and sisters, especially, the victims of calamities and injustices, the sick and abandoned.

DO or ASSIGNMENT
 attend activities in your own parish
 be a member of a religious organization (choir, lector, lay minister, etc.)
 be an active member in your parish by offering your services and support your parish in
best way you can
 fill up the commitment certificate

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 THINGS TO REMEMBER
VOCABULARY
Church A community of men and women united in Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit,
under the leadership of the successor of Peter and the bishops in communion with
Him.
Catholic Universal, encompasses all time
Infallible The Church can not commit mistakes especially when teaching about faith and
morals
I believe...

 God created the world for the sake of communion with his divine life, a communion
brought about by the "convocation" of men in Christ, and this "convocation" is the
Church. The Church is the goal of all things.
 God the Father prepared for the Church with the call of Abraham (Gen 12:14) and the
formation of the people of Israel. (Ex 19 & 20) He made a covenant with them: “If you
hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to
me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of
priests, a holy nation.” (Ex 19:56)
 God sent His only Son, Jesus, into the world to establish the Church which came about in
His different ministries and his suffering, death and resurrection. Jesus openly speaks of
his plan o establishing His Church when He said to Peter: “And so I say to you, you are
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld
shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:1819)
 Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God as a gift of salvation of our loving and
compassionate God. He invites all of us to share in His Kingdom. The Church, God’s
Kingdom on earth, includes the good and bad fish, the wheat and the weeds. The Church
represents the coming of the coming of the Kingdom, the Kingdom in process.
 Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of
the age.” (Mt 28:1820)
 The four marks of the Church: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.
 The Church calls us to live in solidarity with the poor.

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