Theology Unit 2 Reading Guide

The New Testament makes this perfectly clear: there is only one Church one Body of Christ, and it characterized by oneness or ____

unity

The ultimate ____ and ____ of the Church’s unity is the eternal unity of the three Divine Persons of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

example, source

If we think about all the cultures that make up the Church, each person contributing his or her unique gifts and callings, we can begin to imagine the great _____ in the Church

diversity

As the successor of Saint Peter, whom Jesus called to lead his Church the ____ is the visible principle and foundation of the unity of the whole Church

Pope

As the ______, the Pope is the visible representative of Christ on earth

vicar of christ

Today we continue to experience the challenge that ___ presents to Christian unity

sin

People all over the world profess the one faith by praying the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. Both ______ have special places in the Church's life.

creeds

The Seven Sacraments, especially the __________, create bonds of unity within the Church.

Eucharist

The bishops and the Pope have received their authority by means of ____________ through the________.

Apostolic Succession, Sacrament of Holy Orders

The Catholic Church is not the only Christian Church to recognize the sacrifice of ________

martyrs

Heresy results when a person or group consciously and deliberately rejects a ____________________ of the Church.

dogma

A Christian community in ____________________ with the Catholic Church is one that does not recognize the supreme authority of the Pope or otherwise is not in communion with the Church.

schism

The __________________________ in the early sixteenth century also divided Christians.

Protestant Reformation

The ________ (or Catholic Reformation), most notably the Council of Trent (1545-1563), addressed the issues at the heart of the division created by the Protestant
Reformation. Although the Council made many positive changes to correct abuses, it was unable to restore ________ among Christians.

Counter-Reformation, unity

Christ works through other Churches and ecclesial communities as a means of ________. Yet the salvation that is possible through these Christian communities
ultimately __________ on the fullness of the heritage of faith that Jesus entrusted to the Catholic Church.

salvation, depends

Although the Eastern Orthodox Church is not in full communion with the Catholic Church, these two
Churches are especially close because both have maintained ______.

apostolic succession

Those ecclesial communities that lack Apostolic Succession do not have the fullness of the ________ or of ___________

sacraments, salvation

The ecumenical movement, or ____________, is an effort by Christians from different Churches and ecclesial communities to be more open to one another and to work to restore unity among all Christians.

ecumenism

The Church of Christ—which we profess to be One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic—exists in the _________ Church.

Catholic

____________ the Catholic Church has sustained the apostolic structure and succession of leadership that ___________ established.

Only, Christ

The Kingdom of God is already _______ in the Church and will be ________ at the end of time.

present, perfected

Through prayer and other actions, we participate in the Trinity's work to _____________ all Christians.

reconcile

When we understand the true nature of the Church as both _______ and __________, we see that she is not
limited to her visible aspects, and we recognize the source of her holiness.

human, divine

The Church is holy because she is __________ with Christ, and he has given her the means of salvation.

united

Perfect holiness will be achieved in _______, the state of supreme and definitive happiness with the most Holy Trinity and the Communion of Saints.

heaven

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux described love as the principal ________, or calling, of each person. The more specific vocations, such as priesthood, ___________, or Marriage, are different ways to live out the calling to love.

vocation, consecrated life

Because the Church sanctifies, it is natural that she embrace _________. Her holiness lies in the truth that with Christ and in Christ she is fully focused on saving people from
__________.

sinners, sin

Grace is the free and undeserved ____________ of God's loving presence in our lives.

gift

When we freely __________ to cooperate with grace, we are at our best, perfecting our God-given potential to form loving relationships with God and others.

choose

The Holy Spirit infuses our souls with ______________ to free us from sin and to make us holy

sanctifying grace

____________ is the name for God's interventions that can come at the beginning of the conversion process and during the everyday moments of our lives.

Actual grace

We also receive ____________, gifts that come to us from the particular Sacraments.

sacramental grace

God's grace will not automatically make us holy without our ____________.

cooperation

When we profess belief in the ____________, we do recognize our relationships with all faithful people living now and in the past, but that is not all. We are also saying that "holy things," especially the ___________, bind us to one another and unite us to God.

communion of saints, Eucharist

The Church is a Communion of Saints that exists in three stages of sanctification:

- Faithful followers of jesus here on earth
- Faithful who have died, and are being purified
- Faithful who have already obtained the perfect holiness & glory of heaven, seeing God as he is.

We ____________ for those who have passed away from this life. Our prayers help them as they are ___________ of the effects of earthly sin in their journey through ___________ to the fullness of heavenly life.

pray, purified, purgatory

Those whom the Church has recognized as ____________ inspire us to grow in holiness and nourish our hope in God on earth and in eternal life.

saints

As we learn about saints or read their writings, we see __________ in action in real life.

holiness

Throughout history saints have been sources of
___________ for the Church in difficult times.

renewal

We simply ask the _______ to pray for us just as we might ask any _______ to pray for us when we are going through a difficult time.

saints, friend

Honoring the __________ with the whole Church reminds us of the Paschal Mystery visible in their lives, exposes us to holy people, and _________ us with the liturgy of
Heaven, which is constant praise of God, as revealed in the Book of Revelation.

saints, unites

Mary is the ___________ human being who ever lived. She was perfectly holy, born completely free of _________ and remaining pure from all personal sin throughout her life.

holiest, Original sin

Mary, by her __________, by her acceptance of Gabriel's message, by her yes cooperated in a very real way in the Father's plan of salvation through Jesus.

fiat

The Greek word ________ means "God-bearer." The Church uses this term for Mary because she is the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God who became man and who is himself God.

Theotokos

Because of her unique, active role in the Father's plan of salvation through his Son, Mary can be called our _________ in the order of grace.

mother

To help you distinguish between the two senses of "Catholic," you might think of the first meaning as "The Church ______ it all," because she has the fullness (or "all") of Christ and of the means of salvation. You might think of the second meaning as "The Church ________ to all," because she invites all humanity to the People of God.

has, calls

The means of salvation are divine _________ freely given to the Church through the Holy Spirit. These include the fullness of the faith, the fullness of the Seven sacraments, and the fullness of the ordained __________ passed down from the Apostles.

gifts, ministry

Because all human beings __________ the same Divine Creator and the same destiny with God, the Church's purpose is to gather all people from all times together as
________.

share, one

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, a Church Father, explained the connection between the Church and wholeness or totality. Summarize what he wrote:

- The Church is worldwide
Teaches universally + completely the doctrines of salvation
- It brings all human to Godliness
- Treats and heals every sin & possesses all kind of virtue

The full definition of the word ________ that you learned in chapter 1, "The Origin of the Church," includes three distinct references. The first refers to the ________
community of God's People around the world. The second refers to the ________ community, or diocese. The third refers to the community assembled for _________, especially the Mass.

Church, entire, local, liturgy

When churches are in communion with Rome, they possess the fullness, or _________, of the apostolic faith as it is preserved in the Roman Church.

Catholicity

Churches in full communion with the Church of Rome recognize the authority of the Pope as the visible foundation for the unity of the _________ and of all members of the Church.

college of bishops

The Seven Sacraments express fullness in the sense that they touch the _________ of a person's life, from Baptism at the beginning to Anointing of the Sick at the end.

totality

Just as the Church participates in dialogues with non-Catholic ________ communities, she is also open to dialogue with people of ___________ religions.

Christian, non-christain

In dialogue with people of different religions, the Catholic Church __________ to her own faith while _________ and encouraging the spiritual and moral truths found in their religions. Note, however, that the Church does not __________ any religious groups that lead people astray or distort the image of God found in all people.

witnesses, acknowledging, support

Jesus himself was ___________; God revealed himself to the Jewish people through the old ________, and the Jewish faith is a response to his __________.

Jewish, covenants, Revelation

Muslims ____________ the one Creator, trace their faith back to Abraham, and worship the one God by _________, giving alms, and fasting.

acknowledge, praying

For the Church to fully realize her catholicity, we must ______, not erase, differences of culture, race, wealth, social class, or any other dividing characteristic.

embrace

We also see the Church's ________ in the saints themselves. Our saints have come from various walks of life and many different places in the world.

Catholicity

Though the Eastern _______ Churches (distinct from the Eastern _______ Church) have some rituals and practices that differ from the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholics are in full ________ with Rome.

catholic, Orthodox, communion

Because the Church is universal, she is able to _______ diverse cultural elements and popular devotions into her unity. At the same time, the Church purifies or transforms cultural elements in the light of faith.

integrate

We say that the Church is _______ for three reasons.

apostolic

• She was and is built on the "foundation of the apostles" (Ephesians 2:20), who lived with and were taught by __________.
• With the help of the Holy Spirit, the Church preserves and hands on the ________ of the Apostles and their successors.
• The Church continues to be taught, made holy, and led by the Apostles through their ________: the College of Bishops, assisted by priests, in union with the Pope, the
visible head of the Church.

Jesus, teachings, successors

Although Saint Paul insisted that his _______ as an Apostle was as great as that of any other Apostle (see 2 Corinthians 11:5), he also emphasized that all his strength and authority were based on God's ______ only.

authority, grace

Just as Jesus relied on the power of his _________, the Apostles relied on the power ________ gave them.

Father, Jesus

Name four acts the Apostles had the authority to do by the power Jesus gave them:

1. proclaim kingdom of heaven
2. heal sick, cast out evil spirits
3. raise dead
4. forgive sins in Jesus's name

Jesus Christ, the fullness of Divine Revelation, commanded and entrusted the Apostles to ____ all people and all nations what they had heard and seen regarding salvation. In this way, the teachings of Jesus have been _______ from generation to generation, proclaimed not only in word but also in action.

preach, passed

Once the time came to finish their work on this earth, the Apostles chose their successors, who were given the title ________. To these successors the Apostles passed on the authority to teach and interpret Sacred Scripture and Tradition. This process is known as __________.

Bishop, apostolic succession

The faith of the Church precedes, supports, and nourishes the faith of individuals. Faith is both personal and ________.

ecclesial

Name the two ways in which the Apostles handed on the Gospel message:

Oral tradition and written tradition

Together "Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition make up a single sacred ______ of the Word of God."

deposit

Bishops, who are already ordained priests, receive the _______ of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. In the early Church, this fullness was known as the _______ priesthood. ________ consecration confers the office of sanctifying, teaching, and ruling on the bishop.

fullness, high, Episcopal

Just as the mission of the Apostles continues in the mission of the bishops, so too ______ role as the head of the Apostles continues in the role of the _______ as head of the College of Bishops.

Peters, Pope

By giving him the "power of the keys," as it is known, Jesus signified Peter's authority to ________ the Church. The power to _________ refers to Peter's special authority to absolve sin, make judgments about official doctrines, and make disciplinary decisions in the Church.

govern, bind & lose

The word _______ describes any Christian's activity that fulfills the apostolic nature of the whole Church when he or she works to extend the Reign of Christ to the entire world.

apostolate

Whether an ordained person or _________, anyone who wants to engage in the apostolate must be in union with Christ.

layperson

The essential nature of the apostolate is _______. Every day we face small and big decisions that could result in a _________ to love or not.

love, choice

What is the ______ between a career that is understood as an apostolate and one that is not? When a professional athlete understands his or her sports career as an apostolate, for example, the athlete will seek to become ________ in the community and use time and money to _________ the lives of others.

difference, involved, improve