OUR RICH INHERITANCE - THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH
Have you ever heard someone say that they believe in God but not in the Church? They are usually referring to the people in the Church, whom they believe are hypocrites, or the “rules” of the Church, which they find restrictive. AAA
But, in the Catechism, we read that “Just as God’s will is creation and is called ‘the world’, so his intention is the salvation of men, and it is called ‘the Church’”. (CCC #760) To separate the Church from God is impossible! “The Church ‘is the Reign of Christ already present in mystery.’” (CCC #763)
“The Lord Jesus endowed his community with a structure that will remain until the Kingdom is fully achieved. Before all else there is the choice of the Twelve with Peter as their head….The Twelve and the other disciples share in Christ’s mission and his power…By all his actions, Christ prepares and builds his Church.” (CCC #764)
“Henceforward the Church, endowed with the gifts of her founder and faithfully observing his precepts of charity, humility and self-denial, receives the mission of proclaiming and establishing among all peoples the Kingdom of Christ….” (CCC #768)
It is through the Church, that we are unified with Christ in the sacraments and brought into the Kingdom.
Last year in January, Pope Francis, in his weekly General Audience, began a series of catecheses on the Sacraments. He said that the Second Vatican Council tells us that the Church herself is a “Sacrament”, a grace-filled sign which makes Christ’s saving work present in history, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Each of the sacraments was instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church to give us grace. When we receive the sacraments, we bear fruit and make the world a visible sign of the Kingdom of God. What a rich inheritance, indeed!!
But, in the Catechism, we read that “Just as God’s will is creation and is called ‘the world’, so his intention is the salvation of men, and it is called ‘the Church’”. (CCC #760) To separate the Church from God is impossible! “The Church ‘is the Reign of Christ already present in mystery.’” (CCC #763)
“The Lord Jesus endowed his community with a structure that will remain until the Kingdom is fully achieved. Before all else there is the choice of the Twelve with Peter as their head….The Twelve and the other disciples share in Christ’s mission and his power…By all his actions, Christ prepares and builds his Church.” (CCC #764)
“Henceforward the Church, endowed with the gifts of her founder and faithfully observing his precepts of charity, humility and self-denial, receives the mission of proclaiming and establishing among all peoples the Kingdom of Christ….” (CCC #768)
It is through the Church, that we are unified with Christ in the sacraments and brought into the Kingdom.
Last year in January, Pope Francis, in his weekly General Audience, began a series of catecheses on the Sacraments. He said that the Second Vatican Council tells us that the Church herself is a “Sacrament”, a grace-filled sign which makes Christ’s saving work present in history, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Each of the sacraments was instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church to give us grace. When we receive the sacraments, we bear fruit and make the world a visible sign of the Kingdom of God. What a rich inheritance, indeed!!