Witnessing Christian

mission
(Getting to know the church: A Mystery and a
sacrament; scriptural images of the church)
 TABLE OF CONTENTS.

01 02 03

Enumerate the Explain what makes Create your own

scriptural images of a church, a mystery symbol for the
the church and a sacrament.. church
GETTING TO KNOW
THE CHURCH
 As Christians, what do we
DID understand by the word
Church? Is the Church
YOU important in our lives as
believers? Why is it
KNOW? necessary to be a member of
the Church?
 DID YOU KNOW?
We did not discover our Christian faith nor
We know we need others not only to
did we invent it. Our Christian faith today
survive but to become fully human. What
comes to us as developed through the
is true in ordinary human life is also true
centuries from the early Church of the first
in our life of faith: Just as we need other
Christians, It has been handed down to us
people in our lives, so too do we need (tradition) to be lived and developed in our
them to nourish and sustain our faith life. time and place. We are called to pass on this
Christian life is meant to be lived in a living faith to the next generation through
community, the Church. It was never symbols, icons, art, and doctrines, but most
meant to be a private life involving only importantly through the witness of our own
"Jesus and me." lives.
● The Catholic Church today traces its origin to ● Especially in the liturgical celebrations of
the Acts of the Apostles, which has roots our Church, we can see through our "eyes
going back to the Old Testament. Both the Old of faith," or feel in our hearts, the human
and the New Testaments give witness to the assembly surrounding us. It is called
experience of the "people of God called together and sustained in its journey
together" or an assembly convoked by God. toward God, a concrete group of ordinary
The Church in essence, then, is a "faith people who believe they are called by
assembly whose root cause is God's free call God through Jesus to live in His grace
to all to share His divine goodness and love in toward a destiny of full with Him.
Christ" (CFC 1355).
● On the other hand, the Church is a ● When we, as a community, of
sacrament "a sacred symbol" of Catholic Christians, celebrate
the Eucharist or take a united
the risen presence in the world.
stand against corrupt
When others look at us, the
government leaders, we
Church, they should see reflected proclaim Jesus' own mission
in us the Risen Christ Himself, His of establishing God's
teachings and values. kingdom of love and justice
on earth.
● The Church is a "beacon of light visible to all and drawing
them in the power of the Spirit to communion with God and
with one another in Christ" (CFC 1369). "Rising from the dead,
[Christ] sent His life- giving Spirit upon His disciples and through
[this Spirit] has established His Body, which is the Church, as the
universal sacrament of salvation" (Lumen Gentium 48).
 SCRIPTURAL IMAGES OD THE
CHURCH
● Because of the very nature of the Church as both
mystery and sacrament, we come to better
understand it through the use of images or models
rather than just by some abstract reasoning. Several
biblical images of the Church are especially helpful
to grasp the rich reality of the Church.
● 1. The Church is the People of God. This image is perhaps Vatican
II's favorite. "God has willed to make men holy and save them, not
as individuals without any bonds or link between them, but rather to
make them into a people who might acknowledge him and serve
him in holiness" (cf Lumen Gentium 9). This image is rooted in the
covenant of Yahweh set up with his chosen people of Israel
● 2. The Church is the Body of Christ. This image is reflected in the ministry of
Jesus Himself. Jesus in the Gospels often identified Himself with His followers:
"Whoever listens to you, listens to me. Whoever rejects you, rejects me" (Lk
10:16). This is true even with the least of His brothers: "[W]hatever you did for
one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me" (Mt25:40). At the Last
Supper, Jesus spoke of the oneness between Himself and those who accept Him
in faith and love: "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me
and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me, you can do nothing" (Jn
15:5).
● It was St. Paul who developed this theme on the Body of Christ.
Without doubt, he was struck by this idea when he fell to the ground
and heard the Risen Lord asked him, "Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting me?... I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:4-
5). This revelation of the Risen Lord identifying Himself with His
disciples prompted Paul to write to the Corinthians, "[You are Christ's
body, and individually parts of it" (1 Cor 12:27). In this Body of
Christ, Christ is the Head and we are the members.
● This image of the Church teaches us that the Risen Lord is present in the world today
through us Christians. We are the Risen Christ's hands, feet, eyes, and mouth. Through us,
others hopefully experience Christ's love, understanding, comfort, and forgiveness. When
the Church, the Body of Christ, is compared to a natural human body, we can see that just
as the body has eyes, cars, feet, and other member parts performing different functions, so
too in the Church, there are different roles to play: leaders, teachers, healers, and the like.
The Church has many gifts, but only one Spirit (cf 1 Cor 12:4-31). It is through the Body of
Christ, the Church that Jesus does His work in the world. Work is done not merely by
priest, bishops and Pope but most especially by the laity who make up roughly 98% of the
Body of Christ.
● 3. The Church is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
This is an image from St. Paul again. He wrote to the
Corinthians, "Do you not know that you are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in
you?" (1 Cor 3:16).
● The image of the Church as the temple of the Spirit shows us
that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father and the Risen
Lord, vivifies the Church and gives it life, and sustains its very
existence, and inspires its actions. Christ has shared the Holy
Spirit with us. in our Baptism. As baptized Christians, we
possess the Holy Spirit in us. The Church is a community of
baptized Christians with the indwelling Spirit" (grace).
 ACTIVITY 1

● Enumerate what is asked.

● What are the different scriptural images of the church?

 ACTIVITY 2

● Explain the following questions.

1.What is the church?
2.Why is the church a mystery and a sacrament?
 PERFORMANCE TASK
● G: Symbol creation for the church
● R: Creator
● A: CLF Teacher
● S: You are tasked to create your own symbol for the church. Draw it on a
piece of bond paper. Below your symbol, write a brief but concise
explanation of your symbol. Be creative in making your symbols.
● P: Symbol for the church
CRITERIA
● S: Creativity 10
Accuracy 15
Explanation 10
TOTAL 35/35
― Irene M. Pepperberg