Chapter 5: The Four Marks of the Church

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Chapter 5 The Four Marks of the Church

• THE CHURCH Sacrament of Salvation

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1. The First Mark One

• BASIC QUESTIONS
• What does it mean to say the Church is One?
• How does the image of the Church as the Mystical
  Body of Christ help us understand the unity of
  the Church?
• What has wounded the unity of the Church?
• KEY IDEAS
• The Church is One, meaning there is only one
  Church, whose source of unity is the unity of God
  himself.
• The unity of the Church can be seen in the unity
  of faith, worship, and leadership of the Catholic
  Church as the Mystical Body of Christ.
• Wounds to the unity of the Church have occurred
  over the centuries due to heresy, apostasy and
  schism.

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1. The First Mark One

• Anticipatory Set
•  
• Read the brief quote from Lumen Gentium that
  begins this chapter.
• Write for a minute on what you think the
  statement means.
• What is the meaning of the affirmation that the
  Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church?
• Christ established only one Church. From the
  moment he created it, it has existed continually
  and it will always exist. In this Church alone
  are found all the elements that Christ himself
  instituted. So there is only one Church, not
  many. The Church doesnt come and go with the
  changes of history. This one Church of Christ,
  which we confess in the Creed is one, holy,
  catholic and apostolic. This Church, constituted
  and organized in this world as a society,
  subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the
  successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion
  with him. The true Church, then has these four
  marks, which will be studied in this chapter.
  The true Church has this particular hierarchical
  structure. In Lumen Gentium, no. 8, subsistence
  means this perduring (enduring, never ending),
  historical continuity and the permanence of all
  the elements instituted by Christ in the Catholic
  Church, in which the Church of Christ is
  concretely found on this earth. It is possible,
  according to Catholic doctrine, to affirm
  correctly that the Church of Christ is present
  and operative in the churches and ecclesial
  communities not yet fully in communion with the
  Catholic Church, on account of the elements of
  sanctification and truth that are present in
  them. Nevertheless, the word subsists can be
  attributed to the Catholic Church alone precisely
  because it refers to the mark of unity that we
  profess in the symbols of the faith (I believe
  in the one Church) and this One Church
  subsists in the Catholic Church.

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1. The First Mark One

• What does it mean to say that the Church is both
  a visible and an invisible community?
• The one Church established by Christ is present
  both on earth and in heaven. On earth she is a
  visible community, whereas the Church in
  Purgatory and in Heaven is invisible to us on
  earth. At the same time, the spiritual riches
  that the Church on earth possesses are also
  invisible, e.g., the Real Presence of Christ in
  the Eucharist.
• What are the four marks of the Church on earth,
  in Purgatory, and in Heaven?
• The Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and
  Apostolic. 
• What is an immediate, practical value of the four
  marks?
• They help distinguish the true Pilgrim Church on
  earth from any others that claim to be Christs
  Church.

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1. The First Mark One

• How do we know that the Catholic Church possesses
  the four marks of the Church?
• Through faith and the historical record.
• Where does the Church get these four marks, or
  characteristics?
• She receives them from God. Extension Eyes of
  faith only can recognize that these marks are
  because of her divine origin, but the historical
  manifestations of these marks are signs that
  speak clearly to human reason.

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1. The First Mark One

• THE FIRST MARK THE CHURCH IS ONE
•  
• What does it mean to say the Church is One?
• The Church is unique and singular. Christ has
  instituted one Church rather than multiple
  churches. Extension One way of understanding
  this is that Jesus Christ has not forged multiple
  paths to salvation but one way only. 
• How many flocks did Christ intend to have?
• Just one flock, having one shepherd. 
• What did Christ mean when he said, I am the way,
  and the truth, and the life no one comes to the
  Father, but by me?
• He is the only way to salvation.

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1. The First Mark One

• Why is one Church enough?
• Having establishing the Church on earth, Christ
  gives all people the opportunity to be united to
  him, the one Savior of the world, by becoming
  part of his one Mystical Body. 
• What is a second meaning of the statement, The
  Church is One?
• The unity and solidarity of the Church.

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1. The First Mark One

• Guided Exercise
•  
• Think/Pair/Share
•  
• How is the unity of the Church different from
  that of any other social group or organization?
•  

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1. The First Mark One

• UNITY IN THE MYSTICAL BODY
• What is perhaps the best image to express the
  unity of the Church?
• The Church as the Mystical Body of Christ. 
• How does the Mystical Body of Christ express the
  unity of the Church?
• In the Mystical Body of Christ, the many diverse
  members of the Church are united to Christ the
  Head to form the whole Christ, united and
  animated by the Holy Spirit, the soul of the
  Mystical Body.
• What are the three visible ways, or attributes,
  of the unity of the Mystical Body of Christ?
• Unity of faith, worship, and leadership. 
• What does it mean to say that the unity of the
  Church will perdure?
• The unity achieved at the beginning of the
  Churchs life will never disappear.

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1. The First Mark One

• Guided Exercise
• Have the students complete the following graphic
  to summarize the three unities of the Church.

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1. The First Mark One
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1. The First Mark One

• WOUNDS TO UNITY
•  
• What major division arose at the very beginning
  of the Churchs history?
• The first division was over the question of
  whether Gentile converts had to be circumcised
  and follow the Mosaic Law in order to become
  Christians. 
• How was this dispute resolved?
• The Council of Jerusalem, under the leadership of
  St. Peter, gave the response to this question, to
  which everyone agreed.
• What happened to the unity of the Church in
  subsequent centuries?
• Much more serious dissensions appeared, and large
  communities became separated from full communion
  with the Catholic Church.

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1. The First Mark One

• Who was to blame for these wounds in unity?
• People on both sides were usually to blame. 
• What are the three types of ruptures that wound
  the unity of Christs Body?
• Heresy, apostasy, and schism.
• What is the origin of disunity?
• Sin. Extension This is not to say that
  understanding is not involved. For example, the
  early Christians who founded or followed
  Christological heresies got something wrong
  philosophically or theologically or both.

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1. The First Mark One

• What is apostasy?
• Apostasy is the total rejection of the Christian
  Faith by someone who has been baptized. 
• What is heresy?
• Heresy is the deliberate and persistent denial by
  one who has been baptized of a truth of the Faith
  taught by the Church.
• What is schism?
• Schism is the refusal by one who has been
  baptized of unity with the Pope or the refusal of
  communion with the members of the Church. 
• Can a non-Christian be a heretic or schismatic or
  be in a state of apostasy?
• Extension No. These are states that only a
  baptized member of the Church can possess.

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1. The First Mark One

• Who is responsible for these grave sins?
• The individuals who commit them. 
• Why are sins against unity tragic for entire
  communities?
• Large groups of people often go along with the
  actions of the instigators.
• Are those born into schismatic communities
  responsible for the sin of schism?
• Not necessarily.

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1. The First Mark One

• What two major schisms have occurred in the
  history of the Church?
• The first, with the Eastern Orthodox Churches,
  took place in the eleventh century. The second,
  with the various denominations that were founded
  during the Protestant Reformation, occurred in
  the sixteenth century.
• How should Catholics look upon the members born
  into these schismatic communities?
• We look upon them as separated brethren who
  often, through no fault of their own, remain
  unaware of the truth of the Catholic Faith.

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1. The First Mark One

• What are some of the elements of sanctification
  and truth found within the separated churches and
  communities of Protestantism and Eastern
  Orthodoxy?
• Sacred Scripture some or all of the Seven
  Sacraments the theological virtues of faith,
  hope, and charity and the gifts of the Holy
  Spirit.
• What is the origin of the elements of the true
  faith which our separated brethren possess?
• These elements, which come from Christ and lead
  back to him, belong by right to the Catholic
  Church, the one Church founded by Christ, which
  possesses them in their fullness.
• How are the seeds of reunification present in the
  elements of sanctification and truth which our
  separated brethren possess?
• The fact that some of these elements are present
  to some degree within other communities is
  evidence of those communities origins (i.e.,
  they separated from the Catholic Church) and may
  provide an avenue for their eventual return to
  Catholic unity.

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1. The First Mark One

• Sidebar Pope Saint Leo the Great Peter Has
  Spoken
•  
• What two major problems did St. Leo the Great
  face?
• (1) The division and disintegration of the once
  great Roman Empire and (2) the heresies of
  Pelagianism, Nestorianism, Monophysitism and
  Manichæism.
• How did the Tome of Leo effect the Ecumenical
  Council of Chalcedon?
• When those present heard the words of Pope St.
  Leos letter, they readily assented to his
  teaching and exclaimed, Peter has spoken through
  Leo. 
• How did St. Leo the Great save the city of Rome
  from Attila the Hun?
• He met the notorious barbarian outside the walls
  of the city and persuaded Attila and his men to
  leave Rome without a fight.

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1. The First Mark One

• Closure
•  
• Write a paragraph summarizing what is meant by
  saying that the Church is One.
•  

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1. The First Mark One

• Homework Assignment
• Reading
• Heresies in the Early Church through
  Monophysitism.
• Questions
• Study Questions 17.
• Workbook Questions 112.

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1. The First Mark One

• Alternative Assessment
•  
• Given the actual divisions that exist between the
  Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches and
  Protestant churches and communities, brainstorm
  how each of us can contribute to returning all
  Christians to unity within the Catholic Church.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• BASIC QUESTIONS
• To what error does neo-Platonism tend in regard
  to the nature of Christ?
• What are the heresies of Gnosticism, Arianism,
  Apollinarianism, Nestorianism and Monophysitism?
• KEY IDEAS
• While the Greek language and the philosophy of
  Plato and Aristotle were invaluable for
  articulating Catholic doctrine, the neo-Platonic
  understanding of the logos made Greek thought
  prone to misunderstanding the nature of Jesus
  Christ.
• Gnosticism claimed a secret knowledge of Christ.
• Arianism denied the divinity of Christ.
• Apollinarianism denied that Christ had a human
  mind and will.
• Nestorianism claimed that Christ was a union of
  two persons, one human and the other divine.
• Monophysitism denied that Christ had a human
  nature.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• Anticipatory Set
•  
• Scriptural text for the Opening Prayer
• The beginning of Johns Gospel (Jn 115).
• N.B. The English word Word used here is a
  translation of the Greek Logos, which will be
  important for understanding this lesson.
•  

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• HERESIES IN THE EARLY CHURCH
•  
• What is the origin of all Catholic doctrines?
• They derive from the revealed truths contained in
  the Deposit of Faith that Christ entrusted to his
  Church, which are found in Sacred Scripture and
  Sacred Tradition.
• What was the subject matter of the earliest
  heresies?
• The Person and natures of Christ. 
• What does early Christianity owe to the Greek
  language and the philosophies of Plato and
  Aristotle?
• The richness of the Greek language and the Greek
  philosophical tradition were invaluable for
  articulating and developing the Christian message.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• How did Neo-Platonists see God and the logos?
• These non-Christian pagans held that there was a
  Supreme Being, who created the world through
  lesser beings, one of which was the logos.
• How did St. John use the word Logos?
• He used it to refer to God the Son.
• Why would neo-Platonists likely have
  misunderstood who Christ is?
• Their way of looking at the logos was as a
  created being, inferior to God therefore, they
  would tend to believe that Jesus cannot be
  divine. 
• What problem did neo-Platonists have with
  creation in general?
• They saw the created world as an obstacle to
  contemplation and personal perfection, so they
  would not have liked that Christ became true man.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• Guided Exercise
•  
• Think/Pair/Write/Share
•  
• Compare and contrast the Christian and
  neo-Platonic ideas of the logos.
•  

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• Gnosticism
•  
• What is the gnosis in Gnosticism?
• Gnosis is Greek for knowledge, in this case a
  secret knowledge which Gnostics consider the
  basis of salvation. 
• What did the Gnostics believe about God?
• They taught that there were two gods the creator
  god who propagated evil (the God of the Old
  Testament) and the unknowable divine being (the
  God of the New Testament).
• What is the role of the logos in Gnosticism?
• Christ, the Logos, had been sent to give secret
  knowledge to a select few so that they could
  return to the unknowable divine being. This was
  only possible if the individuals understood the
  secret knowledge of the redeemers teaching and
  practiced the appropriate Gnostic rituals.
• What Church doctrines regarding Christs nature
  did Gnosticism reject?
• It rejected both Jesus human and his divine
  nature. It rejected Christs divine nature
  because the logos was not God, and it rejected
  Jesus human nature because it would be material
  and therefore evil.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• What was Jesus Body according to the Gnostics?
• It was an apparition.
• What are the major errors of the Gnostics?
• The Gnostics denied the goodness of the created
  world, the existence and supremacy of the one
  true God, the clear meaning of the Old and New
  Testament Scriptures, and the reality of Christs
  human and divine nature along with his redemptive
  Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension.
• Might Gnosticism be the true understanding of
  Christianity and our orthodox Faith be wrong?
• Extension No. Gnosticism came after the founding
  of Christianity and cannibalized certain elements
  of the faith to give its system respectability. 
• How is the New Age movement essentially Gnostic?
• New Age promises a secret knowledge gained
  through pagan or ritual ceremony that can be
  released through amulets, crystals, secret
  incantations, fortunetelling, horoscopes, zodiac
  signs, or tarot cards. With both Gnosticism and
  New Age, salvation ultimately comes from within a
  person, thus eliminating the need for a Redeemer.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• Arianism (fourth century)
•  
• Who was Arius?
• He was a Catholic priest from Alexandria whose
  study of neo-Platonism and familiarity with
  Gnosticism led him to claim that Jesus Christ was
  neither God nor equal to the Father.
• How did Arius see Jesus Christ?
• Arius taught that Jesus was the supreme creation
  of God but not his eternally begotten Son, the
  Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. He denied
  the divinity of Christ.
• How strong was the Arian heresy?
• This heresy ravaged the Church in the East and
  was adopted by many of the Visogothic tribes that
  dominated central and northern Europe, thereby
  becoming a serious threat to the existence of
  orthodox Christianity.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• How did the Church defend traditional Catholic
  teaching?
• She reaffirmed the traditional belief in the
  divinity of Jesus Christ, proclaiming that Christ
  is consubstantial with the Father.
• How was Arianism overcome?
• Through clear and consistent teaching along with
  the catechetical and missionary work and
  sacrifices of many saintly men and women. 
• How has Arianism been revived in the modern age?
• It can been seen in the tendency among some to
  stress Christs humanity at the expense of his
  divinity. For example, some today see a
  historical Jesus, who was a wise teacher but not
  divine. 
• What are some Christian sects today that deny the
  divinity of Christ?
• The Jehovahs Witnesses and the Church of Jesus
  Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) view Christ
  as the son of God but not equal to or
  consubstantial with the Father, making them
  incompatible with the teachings of the Catholic
  Church in regard to the divinity of Jesus Christ.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• Guided Exercise Mini-lesson on personhood
• In order to understand the Christological
  heresies the early Church faced, it is necessary
  to grasp the understanding the Church developed
  in regard to (1) personhood in general, (2) the
  kind of person a human being is, and (3) the
  nature of the Person Jesus Christ.
• A person is a being with reason and free will and
  therefore capable of love. These are
  non-material, spiritual attributes. We call a
  person with the powers of intellect and free will
  a spiritual soul. Spiritual souls are immortal.
• God is an uncreated divine person.
• Angels and human beings are created persons.
  Angels are pure souls (persons without bodies),
  whereas human beings are composite an
  immaterial, immortal soul and a perishable,
  material body. Human death is the separation of
  the immortal soul from the perishable body.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• Jesus Christ is one divine Person with two
  natures, his uncreated, eternal divine nature
  (God) and his created human nature as man. The
  union of these two naturesthough complete in
  themselves without admixturein one divine Person
  is called the hypostatic union the Greek
  hypostasis means person.
• Christ has two natures divine and human. He has
  a divine, omniscient intellect and a divine,
  omnipotent will, and he has the faculty of human
  reason and a human will. His human nature also
  includes his human Body with its physiological
  processes, passions, and emotions. This is why he
  is like us in every way but sin.
• The Christological heresies each got something
  wrong in trying to understand who Christ is.

33
2. Early Christian Heresies

• Guided Exercise
•  
• Class discussion
• Why does denying the divinity of Christ
  invariably lead to the rejection of the doctrines
  of the Blessed Trinity and the Redemption?

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• Apollinarianism (ca. 360-381)
•  
• What is the origin of the name of the
  Apollinarian heresy?
• From Apollinaris, Bishop of Laodicea in Syria. 
• What is Apollinarianism?
• Although Jesus is true God and has a human body,
  he did not have a human mind and will.
• What is the error of Apollinarianism?
• If Christ did not have a human mind and will,
  then he did not live a complete human life and so
  did not completely share our human experience
  thus, we are not redeemed.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• Nestorianism (ca. 351ca. 451)
•  
• Who was Nestorius?
• He was the Patriarch of Constantinople.
• What did Nestorius teach about Christ?
• He taught that Christ is the unity of a divine
  Person and a human person.
• Why did Nestorius deny the title Theotokos
  (Bearer of God) could be applied the the
  Blessed Virgin Mary?
• He said that she is the Mother of the human
  person Christ but not the Mother of the Person of
  God.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• What is the error of Nestorianism?
• Orthodox Catholic belief is that Jesus Christ is
  one divine Person with two natures human and
  divine.
• What is the hypostatic union?
• It is a doctrine that was formally accepted by
  the Church at the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon
  (451) Christ is one divine Person who
  simultaneously possesses two natures one human
  and one divine.
• Why is the Blessed Virgin Mary, a creature,
  called properly the Mother of God?
• Extension A mothers is the mother not of a
  nature but of a person. She is the Mother of the
  Person Jesus Christ, who is a divine Person. 
• When is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God,
  celebrated?
• On January 1.

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2. Early Christian Heresies

• Monophysitism (400s-600s)
•  
• What is the origin of the word Monophysitism?
• Monos is Greek for single, and physis means
  nature only one nature. 
• What did the Monophysites teach?
• There is only one nature in Christ rather than
  two, claiming that the human nature of Christ was
  incorporated into the divine Nature in the same
  way that a drop of water is absorbed into an
  ocean.
• Which Pope argued successfully against
  Monophysitism?
• Pope St. Leo the Great. Extension His Tome
  outlined the orthodox Catholic position, which
  was accepted at the Ecumenical Council of
  Chalcedon AD 451.
•  

38
2. Early Christian Heresies

• Guided Exercise
• Explain briefly the five heresies discussed in
  this lesson and how they differ from Catholic
  teaching.

39
2. Early Christian Heresies
40
2. Early Christian Heresies

• Closure
•  
• Write a paragraph summarizing the five heresies
  discussed in this lesson using the completed
  Graphic Exercise, Early Church Heresies.
•  

41
2. Early Christian Heresies

• Homework Assignment
• Reading
• The Protestant Reformation through sidebar
  Contemporary Efforts in Ecumenism.
• Questions
• Study Questions 813.
• Workbook Questions 1318.

42
2. Early Christian Heresies

• Alternative Assessment
•  
• Work with a partner to identify one negative
  effect of each of the five heresies discussed in
  this lesson if it had been true adopted.
•  

43
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• BASIC QUESTIONS
• What was the Protestant Reformation?
• What is Ecumenism?
• KEY IDEAS
• The Protestant Reformation was an interrelated
  series of schisms that took place from 1517 to
  1648 concerning the teachings, worship, and
  structure of the Church, resulting in national
  Protestant churches and communities and over
  30,000 separate denominations today.
• Ecumenism calls all Christians to unity through
  sincere dialogue, prayer, and discernment.

44
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• Anticipatory Set
•  
• Brainstorm names of Christian denominations. 

45
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION
• What was the Protestant Reformation?
• It was an interrelated series of schisms that
  took place from 1517 to 1648. 
• Was the Church in need of reform at this time?
• Yes. Several Popes and saints of the time had
  already attempted to curb abuses within the
  Church.
• What abuse did Martin Luther criticize rightly?
• The sale of indulgences. 
• What did Martin Luther criticize wrongly?
• The validity of indulgences themselves.

46
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• What did Luther and Zwinglis theological
  reasoning lead to?
• An attack on the teaching, worship, and structure
  of the Church herself.
• Who were some other reformers?
• John Calvin and King Henry VIII.
• What was the result of the Protestant
  Reformation?
• Schisms in Germany, Switzerland, England,
  Denmark, Sweden, and Scotland.
• What was the relationship between Protestantism
  and the new political order of princes ruling
  nation-states?
• Secular rulers used Protestantism to seize Church
  property and power and to extend temporal control
  over matters of justice and moral legislation.
•  

47
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• What was the result of the new churches
  independence from Rome?
• These new Christian communities found that they
  disagreed with one another. They have been
  limited generally to their country of origin or
  have continued to splinter. Today there are more
  than 30,000 different Protestant denominations
  throughout the world. 
• What was the Catholic Reformation?
• Also called the Counter-Reformation, it was a
  renewal of religious fervor on the part of
  Catholics throughout Europe that included a new
  clarification of Church doctrine during the
  Ecumenical Council of Trent and new religious
  orders of men and women such as the Jesuits and
  the Discalced Carmelites dedicated to living in
  imitation of Christ. Extension The Catholic
  Reformation also resulted in a renewal of
  Catholic art, music, architecture, education, and
  a worldwide evangelization. 
• Who are some of the great saints of the Catholic
  Reformation?
• God gave the world Sts. Ignatius of Loyola,
  Francis Xavier, John of the Cross, Teresa of
  Avila, Francis de Sales, and others to assist the
  Pilgrim Church.

48
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• Guided Exercise
•  
• Cooperative learning groups to research online
  the differences between Catholics and Protestants
  on assigned topic
• What is Original Sin?
• How are we saved?
• What is the source of our knowledge about
  religion?
• What is the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the
  saints, and angels in our lives?
• Who leads the Church on earth?
• What are the Sacraments?
• Present your findings.

49
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• TOWARD GREATER CHRISTIAN UNITY
•  
• What is ecumenism?
• It is the task of working toward Christian unity,
  in which all Christians are called to engage.
• Why do Catholics engage in ecumenical work
  according to the Catechism, no. 816?
• Only the Catholic Church contains the fullness of
  the means of salvation, and all members of the
  People of God should be incorporated into her.

50
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• Guided Exercise
•  
• Work with a partner to articulate the principles
  for engaging in ecumenical work identified by
  documents of the Second Ecumenical Council of the
  Vatican (Vatican II).
•  

51
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• Guided Exercise
•  
• Christ prayed to his Father
• 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.
• Think/Pair/Share on the question below
•  
• How does Christian disunity harm the Churchs
  evangelical efforts?
•  

52
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• Sidebar Contemporary Efforts in Ecumenism and
  Interfaith Dialogue
• With which Christian body is the Catholic Church
  the closest to reconciling?
• The Eastern Orthodox Churches. 
• Why do the many national churches and
  multiplicity of sects pose a difficulty in
  ecumenism?
• The Eastern Orthodox Churches are comprised of
  more than a dozen disunited national churches.
  There is also no unity among the Protestant
  churches and communities. Catholics must dialogue
  with each one individually.
• How does the problem of leadership in
  Protestantism compound ecumenical dialogue?
• The Protestant churches and communities do not
  have generally a hierarchy or authority that can
  officially speak for all the members of their
  denominations. 
• What does the Church hope to gain from interfaith
  dialogue with Jewish and Muslim leaders and
  representatives of the Oriental religions?
• While unity is less likely, the Church seeks
  common ground and mutual respect.

53
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• Closure
•  
• Write a paragraph summarizing the principles that
  should guide ecumenical initiatives.

54
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• Homework Assignment
• Reading
• The Church Is Holy through Perfection in Heaven.
• Questions
• Study Questions 1419.
• Practical Exercises 56.
• Workbook Questions 1924.

55
3. Protestantism and Ecumenism

• Alternative Assessment
•  
• Free write on ways you can personally foster
  interfaith understanding.
•  

56
4. The Second Mark Holy

• BASIC QUESTION
• In what sense is the Church Holy?
• KEY IDEAS
• The Church, though made up of sinful members on
  earth, is Holy because of the holiness of Christ
  her Head.
• The Church on earth and each of her members
  participates in a hidden way in Christs
  holiness.
• The Church will be perfected at the end of time
  in the glory of Heaven.

57
4. The Second Mark Holy

• Anticipatory Set
•  
• Opening Prayer Ephesians 52533.
• What does this reading say about the relationship
  between Christ and the Church?
•  

58
4. The Second Mark Holy

• THE SECOND MARK THE CHURCH IS HOLY
• What is the origin of the holiness of the Church?
  
• The Church receives her holiness from Christ her
  Founder through the indwelling of the Holy
  Spirit.
• What means does the Church possess to sanctify
  people?
• The teachings of Christ, the Sacraments, and the
  life of prayer. 
• Why does Christ make the Church Holy?
• Christ loves the Church as his Bride and so makes
  her holy, as he is holy.

59
4. The Second Mark Holy

• How is the Church Holy if her members are
  sinners?
• The Churchs holiness is not defiled by the
  presence of sinners rather, her holiness
  transforms sinners into saints if they live her
  life.
• Which members of the Church are absolutely holy?
• All of the Churchs members in Heaven have
  reached the perfection of holiness.
• According to the Catechism, no. 827, how do
  members of the Church become holy?
• By living her life.

60
4. The Second Mark Holy

• What is the effect of the sins of individual
  members of the Church on people outside the
  Church?
• Our sins obscure the Churchs holiness in the
  eyes of the world. Extension Because people tend
  to notice others sins and but are blind to their
  own, critics may accuse the Church of hypocrisy
  or failure without recognizing or while
  minimizing their own.
• What is the antidote to the sins of individual
  members of the Church?
• Purification, penance, and renewal.

61
4. The Second Mark Holy

• Guided Exercise
•  
• Perform a paragraph shrink on the final paragraph
  of this section beginning In 2000 through the
  two quotes from Pope Bl. John Paul II (p. 160).
•  
• N.B. The Pope did collectively for the Church
  what Christ instructed each Christian to do
  individually in the Lords Prayer Forgive us
  our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass
  against us.)

62
4. The Second Mark Holy

• PARTICIPATION IN THE HOLINESS OF CHRIST
•  
• According to St. Paul, why is Christs
  Resurrection of first importance for Christians?
• If Christ did not rise from the dead, then our
  faith is futile, and we are still in a state of
  sin. 
• How is Christs Resurrection different from the
  resurrections Christ performed while on earth?
• The people Christ raised miraculously returned to
  ordinary, earthly life and later died. Christs
  risen body possesses new properties that reflect
  the glory of his divinity and is not limited to
  time and space. It is made for dwelling in the
  eternity of Heaven. 
• What will our resurrected bodies be like?
• They will not be like Lazarus body, which died
  again, but like Christs, which is indestructible
  and capable of dwelling in Heaven. 
• When will the bodily resurrection take place?
• At the end of history.

63
4. The Second Mark Holy

• Guided Exercise
•  
• Think/Pair/Write/Share
•  
• Based on the section Participation in the
  Holiness of Christ, how does the Church already
  share in Christs Resurrection?

64
4. The Second Mark Holy

• THE CHURCH WILL RECEIVE HER PERFECTION IN THE
  GLORY OF HEAVEN
•  
• In what sense is the Church the point of human
  history?
• God envisioned the Church from all eternity as
  the means to bring the human family back to
  himself after the Fall. God used human history to
  prepare all people for the coming of Christ and
  his Church. 
• What is Gods ultimate vision of the Church as
  the People of God?
• It is eternal communion of the human family with
  him in Heaven. 
• What three qualities does the Church possess
  because of her holiness?
• The Church is immutable, meaning it will never
  change in its essential aspects indefectible,
  meaning it will never perish nor go astray and
  perennial, meaning it will exist until the end of
  time.

65
4. The Second Mark Holy

• Guided Exercise
•  
• Work with a partner to write a bullet-point
  summary of the Catechism, no. 769 (p. 161), to
  unpack its many ideas.

66
4. The Second Mark Holy

• Closure
•  
• Write a paragraph summarizing what it means to
  say that the Church is Holy.

67
4. The Second Mark Holy

• Homework Assignment
• Reading
• The Church is Catholic through Conclusion.
• Questions
• Study Questions 2024.
• Workbook Questions 2529.

68
4. The Second Mark Holy

• Alternative Assessment
•  
• Explore in more depth the Resurrection of Christ
  by reading an excerpt from the philosopher and
  theologian Peter Kreeft The Meaning of the
  Resurrection Ten Confusions (pp. 178181).
• Use the search terms Google Books and
  Christian Apologetics, then go to Chapter 12.
•  

69
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• BASIC QUESTIONS
• What does it mean to say the Church is Catholic?
• What does it mean to say the Church is Apostolic?
• KEY IDEAS
• The Church is Catholic because she has a
  universal authority to fulfill her universal
  mission.
• The Church is Apostolic because it is built on
  the teaching of the Apostles, whose authority she
  possesses through Apostolic Succession.

70
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• Anticipatory Set
•  
• Free write for a few minutes on that aspect of
  the many dimensions of the Churchs catholicity
  articulated by St. Cyril (see the sidebar The
  Catholicity of the Church) that is most
  appealing to you personally.
•  

71
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• What does the word Catholic typically mean as
  used today?
• It is a denominational term, much like Baptist
  or Lutheran, and refers to Roman Catholic
  Christians.
• What does the word catholic mean?
• It comes from the Greek katholikos, meaning
  universal, or pertaining to the whole.
• What are the two meanings of the word catholic
  as it pertain to the Church?
• The Church is catholic because (1) she is whole
  and complete, and (2) she has received universal
  authority from Christ to fulfill her universal
  mission.

72
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• How can a Church in a particular place be
  universal?
• According to the New Testament, insofar as local
  communities preserved Christian unity in their
  teaching, worship, and leadership, each was
  appropriately identified as the Church of Christ.
  
• What are local Churches called today?
• Dioceses. Extension In Catholic theology they
  are also called particular churches, and in the
  Eastern Churches they are called eparchies.
• To what extent does each local Church possess the
  presence of Christ?
• Each possesses it fully.

73
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• How is the universality of the Church more than
  international?
• Through her unity with Christ, the Church fills
  both time and space, including the faithful on
  earth, in Purgatory, and in Heaven.
• What diversity exists within the universality of
  the Church?
• The Church possesses a rich diversity of external
  expressions of faith and worship according to the
  culture in which she has taken root.

74
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• Guided Exercise
•  
• Break down the paragraph beginning From the day
  of Pentecost (p. 162) into bullet points to
  identify the various ways the Church is universal.

75
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• Sidebar Why Does the Church Have Different
  Rites?
• Why are there different rites in the Church?
• From the earliest years the Catholic Faith has
  found expressions and ways of worship that are
  distinctive to individual cultures.
• What does every Rite of the Church have in
  common?
• Each shares the same Apostolic origin and
  Sacraments. 
• How do the Rites differ?
• Each rite preserves its own linguistic, artistic,
  architectural, spiritual, and cultural heritage.

76
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• THE FOURTH MARK THE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC
•  
• What is the parallel between the Twelve Apostles
  and the twelve ministers of Solomon?
• Solomon appointed twelve ministers to assist him
  in ruling his kingdom, and Christ appointed
  twelve Apostles to assist him in ruling his
  kingdom. 
• What tasks did Christ give his Apostles the
  authority to carry out?
• To teach, sanctify, and govern his Church. 
• According to the Catechism, no. 861, how did the
  Apostles pass on their authority?
• They appointed their immediate collaborators to
  carry on their work and directed those men to
  appoint other proven men to take over their
  ministry when they died.

77
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• How can the true Church of Christ on earth be
  recognized?
• One test is whether the church in question can be
  shown to be led by shepherds who received their
  mission and powers from the Apostles through an
  uninterrupted chain of lawful succession. Extensio
  n The true Church of Christ possesses all four
  marks of the Church, including apostolicity.
• What reflects a bishops direct link with the
  Apostles?
• The laying on of hands.

78
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• Guided Exercise
• Complete the following table to capture the
  senses in which the Church is Apostolic.
•  

79
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic
80
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• Closure
•  
• Write a paragraph explaining why the Church is
  Catholic and Apostolic.
•  

81
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• Homework Assignment
• Questions
• Study Questions 2526.
• Workbook Questions 3036.

82
5. The Third and Fourth Marks Catholic and
Apostolic

• Alternative Assessment
•  
• Free write for five minutes on which of the four
  marks of the Church seems the greatest or most
  important and why.

83
The End