Religion 10 - Chapter 6: Marks of the Church

Marks of the Church

the four characteristics that are essential to the Catholic Church: one, holy, catholic, & apostolic; have been identified since the earliest centuries of the Church

When were the marks of the Church established?

at Council of Nicea (325 AD)

Why does the oneness of the Church matter?

Jesus only established one church, the Catholic Church, which is untied in faith, worship, and leadership.

Why does it matter that the Church is holy?

With Christ and the Holy Spirit guiding the Church, it is consecrated for God, so it can bring people into communion with God.

Why does it matter that the Church is catholic?

The Church is whole, complete, and universal, spanning the entire world through Christ’s universal authority.

Why does it matter that the Church is apostolic?

The Church can be traced back to the apostles and Jesus, so it connects us to Jesus.

How many churches did Jesus establish?

one, not many

Pillars of the Church & what they do

Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, & Magisterium - make up the deposit of faith, ensuring that the faith is handed on as Jesus intended

Sacred Tradition

the handing down of divine revelation from one generation of believers to the next, as preserved under the divine guidance of the Catholic Church established by Christ; oral teaching of apostles, etc.

Magisterium

Teaching authority of the Church (refers primarily to the authority that Jesus has given the Church, and not to the people in the office themselves); usually used to refer to the bishops & pope in union with them; at the service of Sacred Scripture & Sacred Tradition

Pentarchy

the 5 major cities of the early Church: Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, & Alexandria

Rite

the liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary heritage, distinguished according to peoples’ culture and historical circumstances, that finds expression in each autonomous church’s way of living the faith.

How can we have rites but still be one Church?

All the rites include the same beliefs, the have same Sacraments, and are under the same pope, just with different expressions of the Sacraments and liturgy. They split from Rome & became Orthodox temporarily, celebrated differently, then came back.

Who endowed the Church with authority, power, and responsiblity?

Jesus, not the members

Indefectibility

•Jesus’ grace to ensure that the Church will always teach the Gospel of Jesus even in spite of the defects of her members, both ordained and lay

Infallibility

the gift of the Holy Spirit which gives the Church the ability to teach faith and morals without error

What infallibility is not

It’s not that the pope is always right, an endorsement of pope’s opinions/beliefs, that the pope is holy, or that the pope is the best person for the job

• doesn’t only pertain to pope - exercises it when teaching alone on faith and morals when the teaching is held in common by the bishops of the world & the pope declares that he is teaching ex cathedra (“from the chair”)

• Pope & bishops exercise infallibility when they teach together either in regular teaching dispersed throughout the world or when gathered in an ecumenical council

Schism

the postbaptismal refusal of unity with the pope or the refusal of communion with members of the Church (a person breaks off & others follow)

Schismatic

a person initially baptized who broke off from the Church (Luther, the original Orthodox, etc.)

Separated Brethren

those who were “born into” schismatic communities through no fault of their own (or introduced to Christianity through another denomination); not guilty of the sin of separation

Apostasy

the total rejection of the Christian faith by someone already baptized (an individual)

How is it possible that Jesus’s Church has scandals, schism, etc.

because people have free will, and some create division within the Church by rejecting the teaching and leadership of the pope and bishops

Heresy

the deliberate and persistent postbaptismal denial of a truth of the faith taught by the Church

What are the two main periods of schism?

1. 11th century (1054 AD) - Pope in Rome & Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other

2. 16^th century (1517 AD) – Church corruption was rampant; Martin Luther wanted to reform but went too far and a schism happened; various denominations were founded during the Protestant Reformation

Why/how did the Great Schism happen?

There were political and theological conflicts and misunderstandings between the eastern and western churches (like the mistranslated message), so Pope Leo IX and the Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other. The Eastern church became Orthodox.

Why/how did the Protestant Reformation happen?

• Corruption in the Church - 3 popes, clergy sought wealthy & political positions through sale of indulgences & simony, not all priests/bishops remained celibate

• Protestant Reformers emphasized sola scriptura (Bible alone) & sola gratia (grace alone), eventually disagreed w/ each other & Catholic Church

• Series of schisms from 1517-1648

• Protestantism offered an opportunity for wealthy leaders to seize control over lands formerly held by local churches & religious orders

Indulgence

a means for the faithful to obtain remission from temporal punishment for sins whose guilt has already been forgiven

Sola Scriptura

Christians can only learn what God wants them believe through Scripture (Protestant concept)

Sola fide

you can be justified by having faith alone, the correct relationship with God (Protestant concept)

Are there elements of truth in the separated churches and communities?

Yes, but the fullness of Truth is in the Catholic Church because it was instituted by Christ.

The Orthodox Church in relation to the Catholic faith

It is the closest to our faith and has valid Sacraments (ex. the Eucharist) because of valid apostolic succession, but it is separated because it doesn’t have unity under the pope and thus have departed from Jesus’s Church.

What does “outside of the Church there is no salvation” mean?

all salvation comes from Christ (the Head) through the Church (His Body)

How can those outside of the Church be saved? Why do we still need to evangelize them if they have a chance to be saved?

They can theoretically be saved because of God’s divine mercy, but we must still carry out the responsibility of evangelizing them because Jesus told the Apostles to baptize ALL nations.

What did the Council of Trent do?

Because of the deep wounds of the Protestant Reformation, the Council of Trent (1545-1563) addressed these problems in the Church and clarified doctrine (ex. on the sale of indulgences).

Ecumenism

the task of working toward Christian unity

• do this by coming to know our fellow Christians personally so we can find areas of agreement in doctrine

Doctrine

teachings of a particular church, usually referring to Catholic Church teachings

Why is it bad that there are multiple churches that claim to be the Christian church?

Jesus only instituted one Church, not multiple, so only one church can be the true Christian Church.

For oneness, who is the source of the Church, the founder of the Church, and the soul of the Church?

• source - Trinity

• founder - Jesus

• soul - Holy Spirit

Why were the first heresies so dangerous?

They struck at the heart of Christianity (the Person of Jesus Christ).

Pelagianism

• created by Pelagius

• we don’t inherit original sin from Adam’s sin in the Garden - we become sinful only through the bad example of the sinful community into which we are born

• man is born morally neutral and can achieve heaven under his own powers (God’s grace is not truly necessary but merely makes easier an otherwise difficult task)

• Ex. Whenever someone dies, saying they’re in heaven, whether they were Catholic or not

What is the source of the Church’s holiness?

Christ, with the Holy Spirit guiding

What are the two reasons the Church is holy?

1. Its goal is the glory of God.

2. It has the means to bring all people into communion with God (means = teachings of Christ preserved by the Magisterium, the Sacraments, & the life of prayer cultivated by the Holy Spirit)

Immutable

Because the Church is from God, she will never change in her essential aspects.

Indefectible

Because the Church is from God, she will teach the Gospel of Christ without error despite the defects of her members.

Perennial

Because the Church is from God, she will exist until the end of time.

• “The gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

Purgatory

a “place” where some souls go before heaven to be purified of sin & attachment to the world; “refiner’s fire” (diamond analogy)

• to avoid Purgatory, take up your cross daily & follow God - offer your sufferings/sacrifices on earth to God

How does the Church relate to Heaven?

It is an echo of our eternal communion with God in Heaven.

What are the three states of the Church?

1. Church militant (on earth)

2. Church suffering (in purgatory)

3. Church triumphant (in heaven)

catholic

Greek for “universal” (katholikós)

Why is “catholic” not a denominational term?

It means “universal,” so it isn’t referring to a specific, limited group of Christians like denominational terms do.

How is our church “catholic”?

1. She is whole & complete - Christ gave her the fullness of His holiness

2. She received universal authority from Christ to fulfill her universal mission (to make disciples of all nations)

This means that no one nation, language, or ethnicity can claim the Church as its Church alone.

Diocese

local church

Who are the successors to the apostles?

bishops

What does it mean that the Church is apostolic?

Christ selected the 12 apostles as the foundation of the Church, and the apostles were entrusted with Christ’s own authority to teach, sanctify (make holy), and govern his Church. The Church is founded on the apostles in a threefold sense: with Apostolic foundation, Apostolic faith, and Apostolic succession.

Apostolic foundation

The Curch was built and remains on the foundation of the Apostles.

Apostolic faith

With the help of the Holy Spirit, the Church guards and transmits the teaches of the apostles.

Apostolic succession

The apostles’ work is continued in the bishops.