A. Answer with one of the following terms: things, people, ideas, Christ, angels, demons, simpathy, doctrine or joy.

1. Jesus Christ founded the Church to continue his work in Earth

    Jesus Christ came to Earth to redeem and save us, but he must go away. As the Redemption achieved by him must come to the whole mankind, Christ founded the Church to continue with his divine mission of salvation, his salvation work. The Church, then, is not a human invention, but a deliberate work of God.

2. What is the Church

    The word Church means “summoning”, a very appropriate term because the Church is the new people of God, summoned by the Word and formed by the grace which was given in the sacraments. It is founded by Christ and ruled by the Pope and the bishops, who guide the faithful to salvation under the Holy Spirit. We can find similar terms to Church in the Holy Scriptures: Kingdom of God, People of God, Body of Christ...

    We started to be part of the Church the day of our baptism, which became us disciples of Christ, like the ones who followed him.

3. Foundation of the Church

    The Gospel narrates the steps Christ followed to found “His Church”. He started praying the Kingdom of God, chose twelve apostles to whom He gave special powers and pick one of them- Peter- to be his vicar on Earth, giving him supreme power over the Church. He made many miracles to demonstrate that, with him, the Kingdom of God had arrived. With his death in the cross He got the salvation of humanity, and the last brick of the building was the coming of the Holy Spirit, who was sent from Heaven on Whitsun day.

4. Mistery of the Church

    We could say that Christ built his Church giving it some special features, so it is different than the rest of human societies. The Church is human and divine at the same time, visible and invisible. It is also hierarchical and charismatical, although the charisms are subordinated to the Hierarchy, who rules in the name of Christ under the action of the Holy Spirit the one who gives the charisms.

  B. There are seven true sentences and three false ones. Choose the right ones.

5. Christ founded one Church and the Catholic is the right one

    Christ founded one Church; He spoke about one flock and one shepherd. The true Church founded by Christ is one, holy, catholic and apostolic, as we mention in the Creed.

    It is one, because it has only one Pope, one faith and the same sacraments.

    It is holy, because Jesus, who founded it, is saint, and they are also saints its doctrine, its people and its ways to guide us to sanctity (the sacraments). Besides, there are and always will be saints in the Church.

    It is catholic, which means that it is universal, because it receives everybody on its midst and extends itself for everywhere. It will last until the end of times, and it is the same in all the countries: the same Pope, the same Creed and the same sacraments.

    It is apostolic, because it is founded over the apostles’ shoulders and teaches their doctrine. The Pope and the bishops are the legitimate successors of Peter and the rest of the Apostles.

    The Church of Jesus Christ is called today the Catholic Church, because it is the only which fulfill all these conditions, and it is the only one which has the means of salvation Christ gave to his Church.

6. Loving Christ is loving his Church

    St. Cyprian said: “Those who haven’t God as Father can’t have the Church as Mother”. After better know about the Church, we understand that it would be a great mistake accept Christ but reject his Church. It would be a contradictory attitude, because Jesus Christ introduced it to preach his doctrine and administrate the grace to men as an instrument of salvation.

7. Our duties towards the Church

    How great is the present the Lord have given to us by being part of His Church! For that reason, with love and gratitude, we say: ‘I believe in one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church.’

    Our duties towards the Church are: believe in what the Church teaches us; fulfill what it demands us; love it feeling us happy and honored of being part of it. As love is proved through deeds, we must pray for the Church; for the Pope and bishops and all the christians. In the same way, while listening the Holy Mass we could offering it for the Church, for Pope’s intentions and for the bishops. Besides, we must help it with in its needs.

Curso de Catequesis. Don Jaime Pujol Balcells and Don Jesús Sancho Bielsa. EUNSA. Navarra. 1982. Reproduced with the permission of the authors.

C. Choose if the following facts are about one of these features: one, holy, catholic or apostolic

1. What is the Church?  The Church is God’s new nation, summoned by the Word of God and formed by the sacraments, funded by Christ and ruled by the Pope and his bishops. They guide the faithful to salvation under the action of the Holy Spirit.

2. Which are the other names received by the Church?  As mentioned on the Sacred Scripture, the Church is also called Kingdom of God and Body of Christ.

3. Which are the key points of Christ’s Church?  The key notes in Christ’s Church are: unity, sanctity, catholicity and apostolicity.

4. Wich is the true Church founded by Christ?  The true Church founded by Christ is only the Roman Church, because it is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic.

5. How can we enter the door of the Church?  We are part of the Church by our faith and the baptism.

  Intentions for a Christian life

- Thank God because He introduced the Church, which continues Christ’s mission among men.

- Meditate about the following sentence made by St. Cyprian and its consequences: “Those who haven’t God as Father can’t have the Church as Mother”.

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