811
"This is the sole Church of Christ, which in the Creed we profess to be
one, holy, catholic and apostolic."256 ( LG 8.) These four characteristics,
inseparably linked with each other,257 (Cf. DS 2888. ) indicate essential features of the
Church and her mission. the Church does not possess them of herself; it is
Christ who, through the Holy Spirit, makes his Church one, holy, catholic, and
apostolic, and it is he who calls her to realize each of these qualities.
812
Only faith can recognize that the Church possesses these properties from her
divine source. But their historical manifestations are signs that also speak
clearly to human reason. As the First Vatican Council noted, the "Church
herself, with her marvelous propagation, eminent holiness, and inexhaustible
fruitfulness in everything good, her catholic unity and invincible stability,
is a great and perpetual motive of credibility and an irrefutable witness of
her divine mission."258
I.
THE CHURCH IS ONE
"The
sacred mystery of the Church's unity" (UR 2)
813
The Church is one because of her source: "the highest exemplar and source
of this mystery is the unity, in the Trinity of Persons, of one God, the Father
and the Son in the Holy Spirit."259 (UR 2 # 5. ) The Church is one because of her
founder: for "the Word made flesh, the prince of peace, reconciled all men
to God by the cross, . . . restoring the unity of all in one people and one
body."260 (GS 78 # 3. ) The Church is one because of her "soul": "It is
the Holy Spirit, dwelling in those who believe and pervading and ruling over
the entire Church, who brings about that wonderful communion of the faithful
and joins them together so intimately in Christ that he is the principle of the
Church's unity."261 (UR 2 # 2. ) Unity is of the essence of the Church:
What
an astonishing mystery! There is one Father of the universe, one Logos of the
universe, and also one Holy Spirit, everywhere one and the same; there is also
one virgin become mother, and I should like to call her "Church."262
814
From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity that comes from both the variety of God's gifts and the diversity of those who
receive them. Within the unity of the People of God, a multiplicity of peoples
and cultures is gathered together. Among the Church's members, there are
different gifts, offices, conditions, and ways of life. "Holding a
rightful place in the communion of the Church there are also particular
Churches that retain their own traditions."263 (LG 13 # 2. ) The great richness of such
diversity is not opposed to the Church's unity. Yet sin and the burden of its
consequences constantly threaten the gift of unity. and so the Apostle has to
exhort Christians to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace."264
815
What are these bonds of unity? Above all, charity "binds everything
together in perfect harmony."265 (Col 3:14. ) But the unity of the pilgrim Church is
also assured by visible bonds of communion:
-
profession of one faith received from the Apostles;
-common
celebration of divine worship, especially of the sacraments;
-
apostolic succession through the sacrament of Holy Orders, maintaining the
fraternal concord of God's family.266
816
"The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Savior, after his
Resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care, commissioning him and the
other apostles to extend and rule it.... This Church constituted and organized
as a society in the present world, subsists in (subsistit in) in) the Catholic
Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in
communion with him."267
The
Second Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism explains: "For it is through
Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation,
that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the
apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head, that we believe that our
Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on
earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated
who belong in any way to the People of God."268
Wounds
to unity
817
In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings
there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But
in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large
communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for
which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame."269 (UR 3 # 1. ) The ruptures
that wound the unity of Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy,
and schism270 (Cf. ⇒ CIC, can. 751. ) - do not occur without human sin:
Where
there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes.
Where there is a virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which
arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.271
818
"However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at
present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation]
and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church
accepts them with respect and affection as brothers .... All who have been
justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have
a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers
in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."272
819
"Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth"273 (LG 8 # 2. ) are
found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written
Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other
interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements."274 (UR 3 # 2; cf. LG 15. ) Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of
salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ
has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and
lead to him,275 (Cf. UR 3. ) and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."276
Toward
unity
820
"Christ bestowed unity on his Church from the beginning. This unity, we
believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we
hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time."277 (UR 4 # 3. ) Christ
always gives his Church the gift of unity, but the Church must always pray and
work to maintain, reinforce, and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her.
This is why Jesus himself prayed at the hour of his Passion, and does not cease
praying to his Father, for the unity of his disciples: "That they may all
be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us,
. . . so that the world may know that you have sent me."278 (Jn 17:21; cf. ⇒ Heb 7:25. ) The desire to
recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy
Spirit. 279 (Cf. UR 1. )
821
Certain things are required in order to respond adequately to this call:
-
a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her vocation; such
renewal is the driving force of the movement toward unity;280
-
conversion of heart as the faithful "try to live holier lives according to
the Gospel";281 (UR 7 # 3.) for it is the unfaithfulness of the members to Christ's
gift which causes divisions;
-
prayer in common, because "change of heart and holiness of life, along
with a public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded
as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits the name 'spiritual
ecumenism;"'282
-fraternal
knowledge of each other;283
-
ecumenical formation of the faithful and especially of priests;284
-
dialogue among theologians and meetings among Christians of the different
churches and communities;285
-
collaboration among Christians in various areas of service to mankind.286 (Cf. UR 12.) "Human service" is the idiomatic phrase.
822
Concern for achieving unity "involves the whole Church, faithful and
clergy alike."287 ( UR 5. ) But we must realize "that this holy objective - the
reconciliation of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of
Christ - transcends human powers and gifts." That is why we place all our
hope "in the prayer of Christ for the Church, in the love of the Father
for us, and in the power of the Holy Spirit."288
II
THE CHURCH IS HOLY
823
"The Church . . . is held, as a matter of faith, to be unfailingly holy.
This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is
hailed as 'alone holy,' loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for
her so as to sanctify her; he joined her to himself as his body and endowed her
with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God."289 (LG 39; Cf. ⇒ Eph 5 25-26. ) The Church,
then, is "the holy People of God,"290 (LG 12. ) and her members are called
"saints."291
824
United with Christ, the Church is sanctified by him; through him and with him
she becomes sanctifying. "All the activities of the Church are directed,
as toward their end, to the sanctification of men in Christ and the
glorification of God."292 (SC 10.) It is in the Church that "the fullness of
the means of salvation"293 (UR 3 # 5. ) has been deposited. It is in her that "by
the grace of God we acquire holiness."294 (LG 48. )
825
"The Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real
though imperfect."295 (LG 48 # 3. ) In her members perfect holiness is something yet to
be acquired: "Strengthened by so many and such great means of salvation,
all the faithful, whatever their condition or state - though each in his own
way - are called by the Lord to that perfection of sanctity by which the Father
himself is perfect."296
826
Charity is the soul of the holiness to which all are called: it "governs,
shapes, and perfects all the means of sanctification."297
If
the Church was a body composed of different members, it couldn't lack the
noblest of all; it must have a Heart and a Heart BURNING WITH LOVE. and
I realized that this love alone was the true motive force which enabled the
other members of the Church to act; if it ceased to function, the Apostles
would forget to preach the gospel, the Martyrs would refuse to shed their
blood.
LOVE, IN FACT, IS THE VOCATION WHICH INCLUDES ALL OTHERS; IT'S A UNIVERSE OF ITS OWN, COMPRISING ALL TIME AND SPACE - IT'S ETERNAL! 298
827
"Christ, 'holy, innocent, and undefiled,' knew nothing of sin, but came
only to expiate the sins of the people. the Church, however, clasping sinners
to her bosom, at once holy and always in need of purification, follows
constantly the path of penance and renewal."299 (LG 8 # 3; Cf. UR 3; 6; ⇒ Heb 2:17; 726; ⇒ 2 Cor 5:21. ) All members of the Church,
including her ministers, must acknowledge that they are sinners.300 (Cf. 1 ⇒ Jn 1:8-10. ) In every one, the weeds of sin will still be mixed with the good wheat of the
Gospel until the end of time.301 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 13:24-30. ) Hence the Church gathers sinners already
caught up in Christ's salvation but still on the way to holiness:
The
Church is therefore holy, though having sinners in her midst because she
herself has no other life but the life of grace. If they live her life, her
members are sanctified; if they move away from her life, they fall into sins
and disorders that prevent the radiation of her sanctity. This is why she
suffers and does penance for those offenses, of which she has the power to free
her children through the blood of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit.302
828
By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they
practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God's grace, the Church
recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope
of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors.303 (Cf. LG 40; 48-51. ) "The saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most
difficult moments in the Church's history."304 (John Paul II, CL 16, 3. ) Indeed, "holiness is
the hidden source and infallible measure of her apostolic activity and
missionary zeal."305 (CL 17, 3.)
829
"But while in the most Blessed Virgin the Church has already reached that
perfection whereby she exists without spot or wrinkle, the faithful still
strive to conquer sin and increase in holiness. and so they turn their eyes to
Mary":306 (LG 65; Cf. ⇒ Eph 5:26-27. ) in her, the Church is already the "all-holy."
III.
THE CHURCH IS CATHOLIC
What
does "catholic" mean?
830
The word "catholic" means "universal," in the sense of
"according to the totality" or "in keeping with the whole."
the Church is catholic in a double sense: First, the Church is catholic because
Christ is present in her. "Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the
Catholic Church."307 (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Smyrn. 8, 2: Apostolic Fathers, II/2, 311. ) In her subsists the fullness of Christ's body united
with its head; this implies that she receives from him "the fullness of
the means of salvation"308 (UR 3; AG 6; ⇒ Eph 1:22-23. ) which he has willed: correct and complete
confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in apostolic
succession. the Church was, in this fundamental sense, catholic on the day of
Pentecost 309 (Cf. AG 4. ) and will always be so until the day of the Parousia.
831
Secondly, the Church is catholic because she has been sent out by Christ on a
mission to the whole of the human race:310
All
men are called to belong to the new People of God. These People, therefore,
while remaining one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole world
and to all ages in order that the design of God's will may be fulfilled: he
made human nature one in the beginning and has decreed that all his children
who were scattered should be finally gathered together as one.... the character
of universality which adorns the People of God is a gift from the Lord himself
whereby the Catholic Church ceaselessly and efficaciously seeks for the return
of all humanity and all its goods, under Christ the Head in the unity of his
Spirit.311
Each
particular Church is "catholic"
832
"The Church of Christ is really present in all legitimately organized
local groups of the faithful, which, in so far as they are united to their
pastors, are also quite appropriately called Churches in the New Testament....
In them the faithful are gathered together through the preaching of the Gospel
of Christ, and the mystery of the Lord's Supper is celebrated.... In these
communities, though they may often be small and poor, or existing in the
diaspora, Christ is present, through whose power and influence the One, Holy,
Catholic, and Apostolic Church is constituted."312
833
The phrase "particular church," which is the diocese (or eparchy),
refers to a community of the Christian faithful in communion of faith and
sacraments with their bishop ordained in apostolic succession.313 (Cf. CD 11; ⇒ CIC, cann. 368-369.) These
particular Churches "are constituted after the model of the universal
Church; it is in these and formed out of them that the one and unique Catholic
Church exists."314 (LG 23.)
834
Particular Churches are fully catholic through their communion with one of
them, the Church of Rome "which presides in charity."315 (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Rom. 1, 1: Apostolic Fathers, II/2, 192;
cf. LG 13. ) "For with this church, by reason of its pre-eminence, the whole Church, that is the faithful everywhere, must necessarily be in accord."316 (St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3, 3, 2: PG 7/1, 849; Cf. Vatican Council I DS 3057. ) Indeed, "from the incarnate Word's descent to us, all Christian churches everywhere have held and held the great Church that is here [at Rome] to be their only basis and foundation since, according to the Savior's promise, the gates of hell have never prevailed against her."317
cf. LG 13. ) "For with this church, by reason of its pre-eminence, the whole Church, that is the faithful everywhere, must necessarily be in accord."316 (St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3, 3, 2: PG 7/1, 849; Cf. Vatican Council I DS 3057. ) Indeed, "from the incarnate Word's descent to us, all Christian churches everywhere have held and held the great Church that is here [at Rome] to be their only basis and foundation since, according to the Savior's promise, the gates of hell have never prevailed against her."317
835
"Let us be very careful not to conceive of the universal Church as the
simple sum, or . . . the more or less anomalous federation of essentially
different particular churches. In the mind of the Lord, the Church is universal
by vocation and mission, but when she put down her roots in a variety of
cultural, social, and human terrains, she takes on different external
expressions and appearances in each part of the world."318 (Paul VI, EN 62. ) The rich
variety of ecclesiastical disciplines, liturgical rites, and theological and
spiritual heritages proper to the local churches "unified in a common
effort, shows all the more resplendently the catholicity of the undivided
Church."319
Who
belongs to the Catholic Church?
836
"All men are called to this catholic unity of the People of God.... and to
it, in different ways, belong or are ordered: the Catholic faithful, others who
believe in Christ, and finally, all mankind, called by God's grace to
salvation."320
837
"Fully incorporated into the society of the Church are those who,
possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept all the means of salvation given to the
Church together with her entire organization, and who - by the bonds
constituted by the profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical
government, and communion - are joined in the visible structure of the Church
of Christ, who rules her through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops. Even
though incorporated into the Church, one who does not, however, persevere in
charity is not saved. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but 'in
body' not 'in the heart.'"321
838
"The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are
honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its
entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of
Peter."322 (LG 15. ) Those "who believe in Christ and have been properly
baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic
Church."323 (UR 3. ) With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound
"that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common
celebration of the Lord's Eucharist."324
The
Church and non-Christians
839
"Those who have not yet received the Gospel are related to the People of
God in various ways."325
The
relationship of the Church with the Jewish People. When she delves into her own
mystery, the Church, the People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link
with the Jewish People,326 ( Cf. NA 4.) "the first to hear the Word of God."327 (Roman Missal, Good Friday 13: General Intercessions, VI. ) The Jewish faith, unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response
to God's revelation in the Old Covenant. To the Jews "belong the sonship,
the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is
the Christ",328 (Rom 9:4-5. ) "for the gifts and the call of God are
irrevocable."329 (Rom 11:29. )
840
and when one considers the future, God's People of the Old Covenant and the new
People of God tend towards similar goals: the expectation of the coming (or the
return) of the Messiah. But one awaits the return of the Messiah who died and
rose from the dead and is recognized as Lord and Son of God; the other awaits
the coming of a Messiah, whose features remain hidden till the end of time; and
the latter waiting is accompanied by the drama of not knowing or of
misunderstanding Christ Jesus.
841
The Church's relationship with the Muslims. "The plan of salvation also
includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are
the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us
they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day."330
842
The Church's bond with non-Christian religions is in the first place the common
origin and end of the human race:
All
nations form but one community. This is so because all stem from the one stock
which God created to people the entire earth, and also because all share a
common destiny, namely God. His providence, evident goodness, and saving
designs extend to all against the day when the elect are gathered together in
the holy city... .331
843
The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and
images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and
all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all
goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the
Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have
life."332
844
In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors
that disfigure the image of God in them:
Very
often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, and
have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the creature rather than
the Creator. Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are
exposed to ultimate despair.333
845
To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed
to call the whole of humanity together into his Son's Church. the Church is the
place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. the Church is
"the world reconciled." She is that bark which "in the full sail
of the Lord's cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this
world." According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is
prefigured by Noah's ark, which alone saves from the flood.334
"Outside
the Church there is no salvation"
846
How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church
Fathers? 335 (Cf. Cyprian, Ep. 73.21: PL 3, 1169; De unit.: PL 4, 509-536. ) Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from
Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:
Basing
itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a
pilgrim now on earth is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the
mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the
Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby
affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through
Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the
Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse
either to enter it or to remain in it.336
847
This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do
not know Christ and his Church:
Those
who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his
Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by
grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates
of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.337
848
"Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no
fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it
is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the
sacred right to evangelize all men."338
Mission
- a requirement of the Church's catholicity
849
The missionary mandate. "Having been divinely sent to the nations that she
might be 'the universal sacrament of salvation,' the Church, in obedience to
the command of her founder and because it is demanded by her own essential
universality strives to preach the Gospel to all men":339 (AG 1; cf. ⇒ Mt 16:15. ) "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 lo, I am with you always, until the close of the
age."340
850
The origin and purpose of the mission. the Lord's missionary mandate is ultimately
grounded in the eternal love of the Most Holy Trinity: "The Church on
earth is by her nature missionary since, according to the plan of the Father,
she has as her origin the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit."341 (AG 2. ) The
ultimate purpose of the mission is none other than to make men share in the
communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love.342
851
Missionary motivation. It is from God's love for all men that the Church in
every age receives both the obligation and the vigor of her missionary
dynamism, "for the love of Christ urges us on."343 (2 Cor 5:14; cf. AA 6; RMiss 11. ) Indeed, God
"desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth";344 (1 Tim 2:4. ) that is, God wills the salvation of everyone through the
knowledge of the truth. Salvation is found in the truth. Those who obey the
prompting of the Spirit of truth are already on the way of salvation. But the
Church, to whom this truth has been entrusted, must go out to meet their
desire, so as to bring them the truth. Because she believes in God's universal
plan of salvation, the Church must be a missionary.
852
Missionary paths. the Holy Spirit is the protagonist, "the principal agent
of the whole of the Church's mission."345 (John Paul II, RMiss 21.) It is he who leads the Church on
her missionary paths. "This mission continues and, in the course of
history, unfolds the mission of Christ, who was sent to evangelize the poor; so
the Church, urged on by the Spirit of Christ, must walk the road Christ himself
walked, a way of poverty and obedience, of service and self-sacrifice even to
death, a death from which he emerged victorious by his resurrection."346 (AG 5. ) So it is that "the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians."347 (Tertullian, Apol. 50, 13: PL 1, 603. )
853
On her pilgrimage, the Church has also experienced the "discrepancy
existing between the message she proclaims and the human weakness of those to
whom the Gospel has been entrusted."348 (GS 43 # 6. ) Only by taking the "way of
penance and renewal," the "narrow way of the cross," can the
People of God extend Christ's reign.349 ( LG 8 # 3; 15; AG 1 # 3; cf. RMiss 12-20. ) For "just as Christ carried out
the work of redemption in poverty and oppression, so the Church is called to
follow the same path if she is to communicate the fruits of salvation to
men."350
854
By her very mission, "the Church . . . travels the same journey as all
humanity and shares the same earthly lot with the world: she is to be a leaven
and, as it were, the soul of human society in its renewal by Christ and
transformation into the family of God."351 ( GS 40 # 2.) Missionary endeavor requires
patience. It begins with the proclamation of the Gospel to peoples and groups
who do not yet believe in Christ,352 (Cf. RMiss 42 47.) continues with the establishment of
Christian communities are "a sign of God's presence in the
world,"353 (AG 15 # 1.) and lead to the foundation of local churches.354 (Cf. RMiss 48-49.) It must
involve a process of inculturation if the Gospel is to take flesh in each people's
culture.355 (Cf. RMiss 52-54.) There will be times of defeat. "With regard to individuals,
groups, and peoples it is only by degrees that [the Church] touches and
penetrates them and so receives them into a fullness which is
Catholic."356 (AG 6 # 2.)
855
The Church's mission stimulates efforts towards Christian unity.357 (Cf. RMiss 50.) Indeed,
"divisions among Christians prevent the Church from realizing in practice
the fullness of catholicity proper to her in those of her sons who, though
joined to her by Baptism, are yet separated from full communion with her.
Furthermore, the Church herself finds it more difficult to express in actual
life her full catholicity in all its aspects."358 (
856
The missionary task implies a respectful dialogue with those who do not yet
accept the Gospel.359 (Cf. RMiss 55. ) Believers can profit from this dialogue by learning to
appreciate better "those elements of truth and grace which are found among
peoples, and which are, as it were, a secret presence of God."360 (AG 9. ) They
proclaim the Good News to those who do not know it, in order to consolidate,
complete, and raise up the truth and the goodness that God has distributed
among men and nations, and to purify them from error and evil "for the
glory of God, the confusion of the demon, and the happiness of man."361
IV.
THE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC
857
The Church is apostolic because she is founded on the apostles, in three ways:
-
she was and remains built on "the foundation of the Apostles, " 362 (Eph 2:20; ⇒ Rev 21:14. ) The
witnesses were chosen and sent on a mission by Christ himself; 363
-
with the help of the Spirit dwelling in her, the Church keeps and hands on the
teaching, 364 (Cf. ⇒ Acts 2:42. ) The "good deposit," the salutary words she has heard
from the apostles; 365
-
she continues to be taught, sanctified and guided by the apostles until
Christ's return, through their successors in pastoral office: the college of
bishops, "assisted by priests, in union with the successor of Peter, the
Church's supreme pastor":366
You
are the eternal Shepherd
who
never leaves his flock untended.
Through
the apostles you watch over us and protect us always.
You
made them shepherds of the flock
to
share in the work of your Son...367
The
Apostles' mission
858
Jesus is the Father's Emissary. From the beginning of his ministry, he
"called to him those whom he desired; .... and he appointed twelve, whom
also he named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach."368 (Mk 3:13-14. ) From then on, they would also be his "emissaries" (Greek apostoloi).
In them, Christ continues his own mission: "As the Father has sent me,
even so, I send you."369 (Jn 20:21; cf. ⇒ Jn 13:20; ⇒ Jn 17:18. ) The apostles' ministry is the continuation of his
mission; Jesus said to the Twelve: "he who receives you receives
me."370 (Mt 10:40; cf. ⇒ Lk 10:16. )
859
Jesus unites them to the mission he received from the Father. As "the Son
can do nothing of his own accord," but receives everything from the Father
who sent him, so those whom Jesus sends can do nothing apart from him,371 (Jn 5:19, ⇒ 30; cf. ⇒ Jn 15:5. ) from
whom they received both the mandate for their mission and the power to carry it
out. Christ's apostles knew that they were called by God as "ministers of
a new covenant," "servants of God," "ambassadors for
Christ," "servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of
God."372 (2 Cor 3:6; ⇒ 6:4; ⇒ 5:20; ⇒ 1 Cor 4:1. )
860
In the office of the apostles there is one aspect that cannot be transmitted:
to be the chosen witnesses of the Lord's Resurrection and so the foundation
stones of the Church. But their office also has a permanent aspect. Christ
promised to remain with them always. the divine mission entrusted by Jesus to
them "will continue to the end of time, since the Gospel they handed on is
the lasting source of all life for the Church. Therefore, . . . the apostles
took care to appoint successors."373
The
bishops - successors of the apostles
861
"In order that the mission entrusted to them might be continued after
their death, [the apostles] consigned, by will and testament, as it were, to
their immediate collaborators the duty of completing and consolidating the work
they had begun, urging them to tend to the whole flock, in which the Holy
Spirit had appointed them to shepherd the Church of God. They accordingly designated
such men and then made the ruling that likewise on their death other proven men
should take over their ministry."374
862
"Just as the office which the Lord confided to Peter alone, as first of
the apostles, destined to be transmitted to his successors, is a permanent one,
so also endures the office, which the apostles received, of shepherding the
Church, a charge destined to be exercised without interruption by the sacred
order of bishops." 375 (LG 20 # 2. ) Hence the Church teaches that "the bishops have
by divine institution taken the place of the apostles as pastors of the Church,
in such wise that whoever listens to them is listening to Christ and whoever
despises them despises Christ and him who sent Christ."376 ( LG 20 # 2. )
The
apostolate
863
The whole Church is apostolic, in that she remains, through the successors of
St. Peter and the other apostles, in the communion of faith and life with her
origin: and in that she is "sent out" into the whole world. All
members of the Church share in this mission, though in various ways. "The
Christian vocation is, of its nature, a vocation to the apostolate as
well." Indeed, we call an apostolate "every activity of the Mystical
Body" that aims "to spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the
earth." 377
864
"Christ, sent by the Father, is the source of the Church's whole
apostolate"; thus the fruitfulness of apostolate for ordained ministers as
well as for laypeople clearly depends on their vital union with Christ.378 (AA 4; cf. ⇒ Jn 15:5. ) In
keeping with their vocations, the demands of the times and the various gifts of
the Holy Spirit, the apostolate assumes the most varied forms. But charity,
drawn from the Eucharist above all, is always "as it were, the soul of the
whole apostolate."379
865
The Church is ultimately one, holy, catholic, and apostolic in her deepest and
ultimate identity because it is in her that "the Kingdom of heaven,"
the "Reign of God, " 380 (Rev 19:6. )already exists and will be fulfilled at the
end of time. the kingdom has come in the person of Christ and grows mysteriously
in the hearts of those incorporated into him, until its full eschatological
manifestation. Then all those he has redeemed and made "holy and blameless
before him in love, "381 (Eph 1:4. )will be gathered together as the one People of
God, the "Bride
of the Lamb, "382 (Rev 21:9. ) "the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven
from God, having the glory of God."383 (Rev 21:10-11. ) For "the wall of the city had
twelve foundations and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb." 384 (Rev 21:14. )
IN
BRIEF
866
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 (cf ⇒
Eph 4:3-5), at whose fulfillment all divisions will be overcome.
867
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.
868
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).
869
The Church is apostolic. She is built on a lasting foundation: "the twelve
apostles of the Lamb" (⇒
Rev 21:14). She is indestructible (cf ⇒
Mt 16:18). 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.
870
"The sole Church of Christ which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy,
catholic, and apostolic, . . . subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed
by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him.
Nevertheless, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside
its visible confines"(LG 8).
GO TO:
ARTICLE 9
PARAGRAPH 1 THE CHURCH IN GOD'S PLAN
PARAGRAPH 2.THE CHURCH - PEOPLE OF GOD, BODY OF CHRIST, TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
PARAGRAPH 3.THE CHURCH IS ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC
PARAGRAPH 6.MARY - MOTHER OF CHRIST, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH
ARTICLE 9
PARAGRAPH 1 THE CHURCH IN GOD'S PLAN
PARAGRAPH 2.THE CHURCH - PEOPLE OF GOD, BODY OF CHRIST, TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
PARAGRAPH 3.THE CHURCH IS ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC
PARAGRAPH 6.MARY - MOTHER OF CHRIST, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH
SECTION TWO: CREEDS
CHAPTER THREE:
CHAPTER THREE:
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