Four Marks of the Church ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC & APOSTOLIC

1. OF THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH
UNIQUENSS
08 November 2015:
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Before We Begin
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.
V. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.
V. Let us pray.
O God, Who taught the hearts of the faithful
by the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant that, by the gift of the same Spirit,
we may be always truly wise,
and ever rejoice in His consolation.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

2. STRICTLY FOR CATECHUMENS,
RECEPTION CANDIDATES & CONFIRMANDS
1 minute
Use only ONE WORD to complete the sentence
(POSITIVE or NEGATIVE)
“The Catholic Church is …”
• Sinners and saints
• Around the globe
• Dignity of human life
• Sanctity of marriage and family
• We compiled the Bible
• Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition
• 2000 years
• 1 billion family members
• Sacraments of the fullness of Christian Faith
• Peter, you are the rock
• Chaotic and hurting world vs. Something
consistent, true and strong

3. CCC 770: The Church in history yet transcends it.
Started off with only 12 apostles and today there
are 1.25 billion Catholics around the world.
The First Two Thousand Years
The First Two Thousand Years
Empires have come and gone, kingdom have come and gone,
systems have come and gone, Romans have come and gone,
Nazis have and gone, communism has come and almost gone.
The Church is persecuted since day one until today,
but the Church has survived and will continue to survive.
The Church is God’s enterprise.
You are about to inherit a family tradition of more than 2000 years.

4. Whom Do We Believe In?
Believe in
God alone
(CCC 150)
Believe in
Jesus Christ,
the Son of
God (CCC
151)
Believe in the
Holy Spirit
(CCC 152)
Believe in
One, Holy,
Catholic and
Apostolic
Church (CCC
748)
7
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,
Porta Fidei, 2011, Para 1
Faith is to believe in
one God who is Love:
- the Father, who in the fullness of
time sent His Son for our
salvation;
- Jesus Christ, who in the mystery
of His death and resurrection
redeemed the world;
- the Holy Spirit, who leads the
Church across the centuries as we
await the Lord’s glorious return.
8

5. What is a Church?
CCC 751
ekklesia (Gk)
1) religious convocation/ assembly
2) the People of God
The Church is
Human
Physical
Visible
Divine
Spiritual
Invisible

6. The Church is
both human & divine
The Church Came First Before the Bible
33AD, Jesus left us a Church.
The teaching of Jesus was preserved by
the Church.
This Church, led by the Holy Spirit,
guards the deposit of faith.
300-400AD, the Church compiled the
early bible canon.

7. What happened in the first 400 years?
33 AD, Jesus died,
resurrected &
ascended into heaven
???
300-400AD,
the Church
compiled the
early Bible
Canon
400 years without Bible!
No Teaching Authority?
No Governance?
No Truth?
382AD Council of Rome
The complete Bible Canon
Who Gave the Church the Authority?
It was by the Apostolic Tradition that the Church
discerned which writings are to be included in the
list of sacred books.
CCC120
Authority of the Church does not come from the
Bible alone (Sola Scriptura).
Rather the authority of the Church comes from
Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

8. 1 Corinthians 15: 3
I delivered to you what I also received.
1 Corinthians 11:2
I commend you because you remember me in
everything and maintain the traditions even as I have
delivered them to you"
2 Thessalonians 2:15
So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the
traditions which you were taught by us, either by word
of mouth or by letter.
2 Thessalonians 3:6
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother
who is living in idleness and not in accord with
the tradition that you received from us. 15
The Catholic Church
Oral Form
(Sacred
Tradition)
Written Form
(Sacred
Scripture)
16
Deposit of Faith = Word of God =Jesus Christ

9. John 20: 30-31
There are many other
signs that Jesus worked in
the sight of the disciples,
but they are not recorded
in this book.
These are recorded so that
you may believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of
God, and that believing this
you ay have life through
his name.
17
18
Sacred Tradition
ApostolicLetters
Apostolic
Preaching
SacredScripture
Catechism
Sacraments
Signsand
Symbols
Liturgy
2 Thessalonians 2:15
So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the
traditions which you were taught by us, either by word
of mouth or by letter.

10. What does Jesus say about the Church?
Anyone who listens to you,
listens to me; anyone who
rejects you rejects me, and
those who reject me reject
the one who sent me.
(Luke 10: 16)
I will give you the key to
heaven: whatever you bind
on earth will be bound in
heaven; whatever you
loose on earth will be
loosed in heaven.
(Matthew 16: 19)
19
The Church governs, teaches and sanctifies.
Quick Summary
The authority of the Catholic Church comes directly from Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God.
The Catholic Church handed down the Divine Revelation in two forms
i.e. Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture; both are equally important
and complement each other.
The Catholic Church discerned and decided which books are inspired
by the Holy Spirit and to be included in the Canon of Bible.
The Catholic Church came first. Then the Bible.
NEXT: The Catholic Church is in God’s plan of salvation…

11. One Holy Couple
(Adam & Eve) - Gen 1-3
One Holy Family (Noah)
- Gen 9
One Holy Tribe (Abraham)
- Gen 15
One Holy Nation (Moses)
- Ex 24
One Holy Kingdom (David)
- 2 Sam 7
One Holy, Catholic & Apostolic
Church (Jesus) - Mk 14
The History of Salvation
In the Beginning (Gen 2: 21-24)

12. Jesus On the Cross (John 19: 30)
“Consummatum est”
It is consummated
Consummatum:
Consummate
To make complete/
perfect/ valid a
relationship
Church foreshadowed in creation & OT, instituted by Christ,
revealed by the Holy Spirit, for it was from the side of Christ
that came forth the sacrament of the Church. (CCC 766)
John 19: 31-37

13. The Church is the Bride of Christ
Eve came from the side of Adam
The Church comes from
the side of Jesus Christ
Eve was the bride of Adam The Church is the bride of Jesus
Christ is the Head of the Church
(Ephesians 5: 23-32)
Inseparable.
One head,
one body.
Christ sacrificed Himself
for her to make her holy.
God will continue
to be faithful.

14. Jesus Instituted the Catholic Church
Jesus appointed the Twelve.
(Mark 3:13-19)
He gave them authority and power
to teach, to sanctify & to govern.
(Luke 9:1-6; Matthew 28:19-20, 18: 17-18; John 20:
23; Mark 16: 15-16)
He appointed Simon Peter
as the leader & His Vicar on earth.
(Matthew 16: 13-19; John 21: 15-17)
He sent the Holy Spirit to be
the Soul of the Church.
(Acts 1: 8, 2: 1-4) 27
What?
Who?
Why?
Threefold
Mission
The Early Church
These remained faithful to
the teaching
of the
apostles
to the
brotherhood
to the
breaking of
bread
and to the
prayers
Act 2: 42

15. The
Early
Church
Members of the Church pooled & shared
their material resources in communion of
earthly goods. (Acts 2: 44-47; 4: 32-37)
Jerusalem was filled with preaching, miracles
& wonders worked through the apostles by
the power of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2: 43; 3: 1-26)
The apostles proclaimed boldly the good
news despite orders to stop preaching by the
authorities. (Acts 4 & 5)
Many died for their faith. (Acts 6 & 7)
Conversion of Saul, a Pharisee & most
ferocious persecutor of the early Church. He
became Paul, the great Christian missionary.
(Acts 9)
The Church is
both physical and spiritual

16. I believe in
one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.
(Nicene Creed)
31
The Church is ONE
One Body of
Christ
(1 Cor 12: 12-30)
One Spotless
Bride
(Rev 22: 17)
One Sheepfold
(Flock)
(Jn 10:16)
Jesus prayed that “we may all be one” (John 17: 21)
There is one body and one spirit… one faith. (Ephesians 4: 4-5)

17. The Church is only ONE
She acknowledges one Lord,
confesses one faith,
born of one Baptism,
forms only one Body,
is given life by one Spirit,
for the sake of one hope (cf.
Eph 4: 3-5),
at whose fulfillment all
divisions will be overcome.
CCC 866
The Church can only be ONE
“If faith is not one,
then it is not faith.”
(St Leo the Great)
There is only one faith
because there is only one God,
not gods.
There is only one Truth,
not truths.
(Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei, 2001, Para 37)

18. The Church is ONE??
Today there are more than
40,000
Christian denominations.
When we are not happy,
we break away & set up a new denomination.
This is the Tower of Babel of our time.
The Church is meant to be only ONE
“I pray not only for these,
but also for those
who through their teaching
will come to believe in me.
May they all be ONE,
just as, Father,
you are in me
and I am in you…”
Prayer of Jesus to the Father (John 17: 20-21)

19. The Church is meant to be only ONE
St Paul warned the Ephesians of
three threats to the Church’s unity:
Arguments
between
Christians
Eph 4: 14-15
Diversity in
service
Eph 4: 7-11
Unorthodox
teaching
Eph 4: 4-6,
12-13, 16
The Church is meant to be only ONE
Ephesians 4: 3-6 Call to Unity
Take every care
to preserve the unity of the Spirit
that binds us together.
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
and one God and Father of all,
over all, through all, and within all.
There is one Body,
one Spirit,
just as one hope
is the goal of your calling by God.
NEXT: The Church is HOLY…

20. 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.
She is the “sinless one made up of sinners”
CCC 887
The Church is HOLY
Jesus makes the Church
holy by sending us the
Holy Spirit, the soul of the
Church (Jn 16: 4-15)
Temple of the Holy Spirit
(CCC 797)
The Spirit of truth will
guide us into complete
truth… (Jn 16: 13)

21. 41
You are Peter
and on this rock
I will build
my community.
And the gates
of the underworld
can never
over power it.
(Matthew 16: 18)
“God’s household, the Church of the living God
is the pillar and support of the truth”.
(1 Timothy 3: 15)
The Church is CATHOLIC
From the rising of the
sun to its setting.
Is catholic since
Pentecost and
commissioned by
Christ to make
disciples of all
nations.
St Ignatius of Antioch
~200AD, “Where the
bishop is, there is the
Catholic Church.”
Universal Wholesome teaching
of the Apostles must
be accepted as a
whole, not bits and
pieces.
She professes the
fullness of the faith.
She bears in herself
and administer the
totality of the means
of salvation.
Totality
CCC 868

22. The Church is APOSTOLIC
She is built on the lasting foundation:
“the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Rev 21: 14)
The Church is APOSTOLIC
Jesus
Christ,
Son of
the Living
God
St Peter St Linus
St Pope
John
Paul II
Pope
Emeritus
Benedict
XVI
Pope
Francis
(266th
Successor
of Peter)
The deposits of faith has been passed on through
uninterrupted line of apostolic succession
The Apostolic Succession

23. The Church is APOSTOLIC
Lasting
(Rev 21:14)
Indestructible
(Mt 16: 18)
Infallible
in the
truth
(Mt 16: 19)
CCC 869
The Church is
both visible and invisible

24. If not ON EARTH? Then where the H***?
Jesus
Christ
Jesus
Christ
Church
Militant
Church
Militant
Church
Penitent
Church
Penitent
Church
Triumphant
Church
Triumphant
Three Dimensions of the Church

25. The Church is the People of God
49
PopePope
CardinalsCardinals
Archbishops
& Bishops
Archbishops
& Bishops
PriestsPriests
DeaconsDeacons
ReligiousReligious
LaityLaity
Infallibility
Truth 1: The Pope is not infallible on his own. The Pope
works with the College of Bishops.
Truth 1: The Pope is not infallible on his own. The Pope
works with the College of Bishops.
Truth 2: The Church is infallible when she preserves
and teaches the deposit of truth revealed by Jesus.
Truth 2: The Church is infallible when she preserves
and teaches the deposit of truth revealed by Jesus.
Truth 3: The Pope is infallible when he teaches ex
cathedra (from the chair) in matters of faith and moral.
Truth 3: The Pope is infallible when he teaches ex
cathedra (from the chair) in matters of faith and moral.
Truth 4: Decision is final and immutable; and must be
binding on the entire Church.
Truth 4: Decision is final and immutable; and must be
binding on the entire Church.

26. Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei, 2001, Para 37
The Church is the mother of our faith.
Love Jesus but hate the Church?
You cannot have God
for your Father
if you do not have
the Church
for your mother
(St Cyprian, c. 200-258 AD)

27. The Church is our Mother
The Church is an old
woman with many
wrinkles and furrows.
But she is my mother.
And no one
strikes my mother.
(Fr. Karl Rahner, SJ)
What Does the Church Do?

28. The Church in Action
Jesus in his earthly
ministry:
Jesus in his earthly
ministry:
• Calls & make disciples
• Strengthens
• Forgives sins
• Feeds
• Heals the sick
• Commissions and sends out
Now, the Church faithful to
our Lord’s command,
continues his mission by
administering the
Sacraments.
Now, the Church faithful to
our Lord’s command,
continues his mission by
administering the
Sacraments.
• Sacrament of Baptism
• Sacrament of Confirmation
• Sacrament of Reconciliation
• Sacrament of Eucharist
• Sacrament of Anointing
• Sacrament of Holy Orders
• Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
Jesus is the Head of the Church

29. Christ is the image of the unseen God.
The Church now is the image of the unseen Christ.
Christ is the image of the unseen God.
The Church now is the image of the unseen Christ.
The sole Church of Christ which
in the Creed we profess to be
one, holy, catholic and apostolic,…
subsists in the Catholic Church.
(CCC 870)
The sole Church of Christ which
in the Creed we profess to be
one, holy, catholic and apostolic,…
subsists in the Catholic Church.
(CCC 870)
Jesus is the Head of the Church
Is there Salvation
Outside the Catholic Church?

30. YouCat #136
• The Church respects everything in other religions that
is good and true. She respects and promotes freedom
of religion as human rights. Yet she knows (and
professes) that Jesus Christ is the sole redeemer of all
mankind. He alone is “the Way, the Truth and the Life”
(John 14: 6).
YouCat #136
The Church teaches that all men who by no
fault of their own do not know Christ but
sincerely seek God and follow the voice of
their conscience can attain eternal salvation.
However, anyone who has recognized that
Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth and the
life” but is unwilling to follow Him, cannot
find salvation by other paths.

31. The Church
in the world
but not of the world
1.25 Billion Catholics
Mother Tongue??

32. The Church in the Modern World
What concerns the humans, concerns the Church
The Holy See was granted permanent observer state (i.e.,
non-member state) status on 6 April 1964.
In that capacity, it has the right to attend all sessions of the
United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations
Security Council, and the United Nations Economic and
Social Council to observe their work.
Accordingly, the Holy See has established permanent
observer missions in New York and in Geneva and has
been able to influence the decisions and
recommendations of the United Nations.

34. A Persecuted Church
The blood of the martyrs, the seed of our faith.
If the world hates you,
you must realize that
it hated me before it
hated you…
If they persecute me,
they will persecute you
as well…
John 15: 18-20

35. The End of Time (Rev 22: 17, 20)
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”
And let him who hears say, “Come.”
Come, Lord Jesus.
The Finding of Jesus in the Temple
Jesus was
twelve years
old.
Follow his
parents to the
Temple for
Passover
Feast.
Jesus was
left behind.
Mary and
Joseph finally
realized
Jesus was
missing.
After three
days, they
found Jesus
in the Temple. 70
“I am with you always
till the end of times”
The Church has survived
and will survive.
Luke 1: 41-49 Matthew 28: 20

36. Sharing & Reflection
Why do I choose or remain to be a Catholic?
What makes you proud to be a Catholic?
The Creeds are brief formulas of faith
that make it possible for all believers
to make a common profession.
(YouCat #26)

37. The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God.
the Father almighty
maker of heaven and earth
of all things visible and invisible
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
The Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through Him all things were made.

38. The Nicene Creed
(Please bow while praying this)
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
And by the Holy Spirit was incarnate
of the virgin Mary,
and became man.
The Nicene Creed
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate,
He suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

39. The Nicene Creed
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
The Nicene Creed
I believe in the Holy Spirit
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

40. The Creed
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
THANK YOU
AND GOOD NIGHT!!