RELIGION EDUCATION

II. ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF

THE CHURCH’S LIFE
 II. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
CHURCH’S LIFE
To distinguish itself from all other religious sects,
the early Church used four criteria proclaimed in
the creed: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.
These really dynamic endowments with which the
church is graced by the Holy Spirit, and perceived
only in Faith. Besides being gifts they constitute
tasks that challenge the Church as part of its
mission.
Moreover, they are so closely linked with one
another that an advance in any one means an
advance in the other three. Traditionally in
apologetic works the marks were presented as
qualities appearing in the history of the visible
church. Today they are usually related directly to
A. The CHURCH as ONE
In the face of the numerous Christians and Churches, we
boldly affirm in faith that the church is one.
The Church is one of first from her very source, the one
living god in three persons. The church shines forth as ‘ a
people made one with the unity of the father, the son, and
the holy spirit’.
Second, the Church is one in her founder, Jesus Christ, who:
• came to redeem and unify the whole human race
• prayed to his Father ‘ that all may be one even as you,
Father, are in me and I in you’( Jn 17:21)
• instituted the Eucharist which both signifies and effects
the unity of the church;
• united all by his new commandments of mutual love;
( Jn 13:34); and
• poured forth his spirit through whom he calls the people
of the New Covenant into a unity of faith, hope, and charity.
The bonds of the Church unity are clearly set
forth in scripture. Christians form ‘ one body
and one spirit’, since ‘‘there is one lord, one
faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all,
who is over all and is in all’’ (Eph 4:4-6). In
brief the Church is one.
• in the confession of one faith received from
the apostles;
• the common celebration of divine worship,
especially the sacraments; and
• the fraternal harmony of god’s family
As a visible sign of this unity, Christ ‘‘ put
peter at the head of the other apostles, and
in him set up a lasting and visible source and
foundation of unity of Faith and of
communion’’
But the Church is a unity-in-diversity,
like the shepherd, who not only
calls each of his own sheep by
name and leads them out, but has
‘‘ other sheep that do not belong to
this fold. They shall hear my voice,
and there shall be one flock, one
shepherd’’(Jn10:3,16).Hence the
universal Church embraces not
only people of different ranks,
duties, situations and ways of life,
but also particular Churches which
retain their own traditions while
Church Unity as a Task. The divisions among
Christians consequently remain a major cause
of scandal before the world. Official breaks with
Church Communion include:
a) Heresy, the obstinate denial or doubt by
baptized person of a truth which must be
believed by divine and Catholic faith;
b) apostasy, the total repudiation of the
Christian faith; and
c) schism, the withdrawal of submission to the
supreme to the Supreme Pontiff or from
communion with the members of the Church
subject to him. But closer to most Filipino
Catholics are the common daily obstacles to
unity against which St. Paul warned the
Galatians: hostilities, bickering, jealousy,
outburst of rage, selfish rivalries, dissensions,
factions, envy. These both impede authentic
Ecumenism is concerned with restoring unity
of the Christian Churches. Vatican II
recognized non- catholic Christians, for ‘‘ all
who are justified in faith through baptism are
incorporated into Christ and therefore have
the right to be called Christians and with
good reason are accepted as brothers by the
children of the Catholic Church. It also calls
for the active involvement of all, faithful and
clergy alike. But this unity can be achieved
only from a radical ‘‘ change of heart, new
attitudes of mind, from self-denial and
unstinted love. Ecumenical efforts include
fair and respectful dialogue, working
together on projects for the common good,
and even common prayer.
B. The CHURCH as HOLY
In faith we believe the church is holy in way that can never
fail. First, because ‘‘ Christ loved the Church as his Bride.
Faith is called ‘‘ divine’’ because it is a supernatural virtue
whereby, inspired and assisted by the grace of God, we
believe that which he has revealed is true, not because
the in intrinsic truth of thing is recognized by the natural
light of reason, but because of the authority of God
Himself who reveals them, who can neither err nor deceive
and gave himself up for her, to make her holy. Uniting her
to himself as his body, he endowed her with a gift of the
holy spirit. Second, because the Holy spirit graces her with
the fullness of the means of salvation and holiness. Such
are the preaching of the gospel, and the sacraments, the
moral values, self-sacrificing service of neighbor, and
charismatic gifts. More concretely, the sanctity of the
church has shone out in the innumerable uncanonized
saints among the ordinary faithful and religious, who
through the ages have led holy lives.
The church’s holiness is a process of growing, a ‘‘
Paschal Pilgrimage,’’ not a static, guaranteed state.
Like Jesus, the Church welcome sinners. But unlike
Jesus she is ‘‘at the same time holy and always in
need of being purified, and increasingly pursues the
path of penance and renewal’’.
Christians have always been exhorted to lay aside
you former way of life and the old self which
deteriorates through illusion and desire, and put on
that new man created in God’s image, whose justice
and holiness are born in truth. This reveals the fact
that we all truly offend in many things . We all need
God’ mercy continously and must daily pray: ‘‘Forgive
us our sins’’.
But this means that all in the church are called to
holiness. This call comes from Christ: the Lord Jesus,
divine Teacher and model of perfection, who stands
as the author and Finisher of all holiness, preached
holiness of life to each and every one of his diciples,
Traditionally, many Filipino Catholics relate to holiness to
certain persons like priests or religious. Some laity used
that as an excuse for not striving after the holiness
themselves. Priests and religious are called to a special
state and service in the church and vow themselves
publicly to bear a special sacrificial witness to the love of
god, but all the baptized are called to live the full
challenge of Christian Holiness. As priests and religious
manifest the transcendence of God’s call, so lay people
remind all men that God’s love has become incarnate in
this world, is found there, and is to be lived there.
In reality, Charity/Love is the center of holiness,
uniting inseparably both worship of God and service of
our fellow human persons. Christ clearly taught this in
his TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS OF LOVE. Vatican II
confirms this: “ love as the bond of perfection and
fulfillment of the law, governs, gives meaning to, and
perfects all the means of attaining holiness. Hence it is
the love of God and of neighbor which marks the true
diciple of Christ”
 C. The CHURCH as CATHOLIC
The term “Catholic” here means universal,
complete, all-embracing. It applies to the Church
in two different ways . First, the Church is world-
wide, sent to all peoples. Second, being endowed
with the “fullness of the means for salvation”, she
announces the whole, she announces the whole,
true faith.
Hence catholicity is basically not a question of
numbers. The church was Catholic on the day of
pentecost when was foreshadowed the union of all
peoples in the catholicity of the faith achieved by
Church of the New Covenant, a Church which
speaks al languages, and lovinly understands and
accepts all tounges. It will still be catholic even if,
The Church is “Catholic” according to a Church Father because she:
• Is spread throughout the world
• possesses all saving truth
• is sent to all peoples
• can heal all kinds of sins
• Abounds in every kind of virtue and spiritual gift
Traditionally, the church’s “catholicity” as its external, visible
universality, was used in apologetics to distinguish the one true
Church from all heretical and schismatic Christian sects and
groups. “Catholic” was a label identifying the Christian
“denomination” to which a believer belonged. Today,
“catholicity” is also explained as the Church’s interior capacity of
exercising a universal ministry of reconciliation. Such intrinsic
capacity is a gift of grace not fully accessible to any sociological
study, but directly rooted in the Triune God- particularly in Jesus
Christ, the universal Mediator, and in his spirit.
Vatican II explains the universality of God’s call to the whole world:
All are called to belong to the new People of God. Wherefore this
people, while remaining one and unique, is to be spread
throughout the whole world to all ages…This character of
universality which adorns the People of God is that gift of the
Lord whereby the Catholic Church strives energetically and
constantly to bring all humanity with all its riches back to Christ
Vatican II explains the universality of God’s call to the
whole world:
All are called to belong to the new people of God, while
remaining one and unique, is to be spread throughout the
whole world to all ages…. This character of universality
which adorns the people of God is that gift of the Lord
whereby the Catholic Church strives energetically and
constantly and constantly to bring all humanity with all
the riches back to Christ the Head in the unity of his
Spirit.
The Church’s “ catholicity” then, is both a gift and a task
which involves mission and enculturation. In its mission
the Church manifests a basic respect for local Churches
and cultures. Its “catholicity” is not any monotonous
uniformity, but reaches out to the cultural wealth of all
peoples. “ The church as people of God fosters and takes
to herself the abilities, resources, and customs of each
people; she purifies, strengthens, and enables the”.
When the Christian faith is accepted by the
people, they bring their own cultural
heritage to bear. The gospel becomes
clothed in a new culture, while at the same
time, it purifies what is not authentic and
strengthens the culture’s true human
values. This mutual interaction of the
Christian message and human culture is
ongoing, never-completed process through
history. Local Churches express the one
Christian faith in distinct ways and forms
characteristic of their people, yet in with
all other Catholic Churches and giving ever
richer expression to the authentic
catholicity of the church.
Filipino “Inculturation” was a major theme of
PCP II. The Christian faith must take root in the
matrix of our Filipino being so that we may
truly believe and love as a Filipino. To
inculturate our faith is a primary need for the
Catholic Church in our country. Inculturation is
necessary for the sake of the itself. It enriches
the Church…..This process of inculturation….
Respectfully draws the goof elements within a
culture, renews them from within assimilates
them to form part of its catholic unity The
Catholicity of the church is more fully realized
when it is able to assimilate and use of the
riches of the People’s culture for the glory of
God. Practically speaking, “ We have to raise
up more and more Filipino evangelizers,
formed in a Filipino way”.
 D. The CHURCH as
APOSTOLIC
The Church is Apostolic in three basic ways: first,
because Jesus grounded her permanantly “on
the foundation of the apostles”; second
because she guards and transmits their
teaching and witness; third, she continues to be
instructed, sanctified and guided by the
apostles through their successors.
The apostles were sent out by the risen Lord:
first to the children of Israel and then to all
nations, so that as sharers in Christ’s power
they might make all people his disciples and
sanctify and govern them, and thus spread his
Church and by, Administrating it under the
guidance of the Lord, shepherd it all days until