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On the Catechism 2-3: The Mission of the Faithful

Paragraphs 1 through 3 of the Catechism form a complete unit.  In this introduction to the Faith, there are many sets of three.  From Paragraph 1 recall that the faithful are to know, love and serve God.  Immediately thereafter, the Church teaches us that the mission given to the Apostles by Jesus was to proclaim the Gospel, baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and finally to teach the baptized all that they had heard from their Lord.

This three part commission was passed along through time by Apostolic Succession to all the Bishops of the Catholic Church!  Having the same commission, the Bishops are to teach that which has been received.  We call this received teaching, the Deposit of Faith or the Word of God.  From the Apostles to the Bishops today, all in succession have the solemn duty of handing on the Faith as it was received, guarding the faith from adulteration, and preserving the Faith from heresy and error. However, the Bishops are not the only members of the Church that are called to a special duty.

Each member of the Church is to profess the faith by their manner of living, by celebrating the liturgy, and by their prayers.  These three items are the general rules of living a holy life and for becoming a saint.  The details fill the thousands of paragraphs that follow!

CCC 2-3

2 So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: "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, to the close of the age." (Mat 28:19-20) Strengthened by this mission, the apostles "went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it." (Mk 16:20)

3 Those who with God's help have welcomed Christ's call and freely responded to it are urged on by love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded by their successors. All Christ's faithful are called to hand it on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer. (Acts 2:42)

Q&A

Q. How did the Gospel spread through the entire world?

A. The Gospel was spread to all the nations by Christ's chosen Apostles.

Q. Why did the Apostles spread the Gospel to all the nations?

A. The Apostles spread the Gospel to all the nations because they were personally commissioned by the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Q. Was the proclamation of the Gospel the only task given to the Apostles?

A. No. The Apostles were commissioned by Jesus to carry out three tasks. First, they were to proclaim the Gospel to all the nations. Second, the Apostles were to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Finally, the Apostles were directed to teach the baptized to observe all the commandments that the Apostles had heard from Jesus while they were with Him.

Q. Did Jesus make any guarantees?

A. Yes. Jesus guaranteed that he would be with the Apostles not only in their natural life times but until the end of the age. That is to say that Jesus would be with the Apostles and their successors until He returned to end the age.

Q. Did the Apostles carry out the mandate given them by Our Lord?

A. Yes, the Apostles faithfully "went forth and preached everywhere."

Q. Did Jesus, Risen from the dead, Glorified, and Ascended to the Father help the Apostles in their mission?

A. Yes! The Gospel of Mark states that "the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through them" by causing miracles, called "signs" by St. Mark, to demonstrate to the world that the Apostles were acting with the power and authority of Jesus.

Q. Did the people who received the Good News and who were baptized by the Apostles also spread the Gospel?

A. Yes, the people of the time of the Apostles as well as we who have received the Good News today, are commanded to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ everywhere in the world.

Q. Who are the successors of the Apostles?

A. The successors of the Apostles are the Bishops of the Holy Catholic Church. The Bishops of the Church have preserved, guarded, and handed on the treasure of the Word of God received from Christ over all these many centuries.

Q. What are we, the baptized to do in our time?

A. We are called upon to profess the faith, to live the faith, and to celebrate the faith in liturgy and prayer.

BREVIARY

Jesus commissioned the Apostles and all the baptized to proclaim the Gospel to the entire world.

All believers who receive the Good News of Jesus Christ are to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

All believers are to be taught the commandments that the Apostles received from Jesus Christ.

The treasure of God's Word first given to the Apostles has been handed on, guarded, and preserved by the successors of the Apostles, the Bishops of the Holy Catholic Church.

All of Christ's faithful are called upon to hand on the Faith in every generation by professing the faith, by living the faith in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating the faith in the ancient liturgy and by prayer.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Pray for us!

Catechism Project Link

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On the Catechism 1: To Know, Love, and Serve God Redux

It is time to get back to work!

Presented below is a representation of an earlier post which considered the very first paragraph of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  This paragraph is particularly important because it provides a key to understanding the Holy Faith.  In an act of love that was completely beyond the hope of any of man's efforts at religion, God reveals to Israel that He has reached down to man in love to rescue all of us from our fallen world and fallen natures.  Through the Cross of Christ we can see the completion of the Plan of Salvation (Gen 3:15) that was launched at the very moment that Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise. 

In response, with the help of grace, we are to know, love and serve God.  As any small child who first learned his or her faith from the Baltimore Catechism knows, this response, together with faith, hope and the love of God, is our means of salvation. This is how we get aboard and stay upon the rescue ship that is the Church!  Most of the people who live or who have ever lived will not believe this good news.  Instead of seeking the freedom to do what we ought, most seek the false freedom to do as they will with no reference to Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!  Too many of us look around when we ought to be looking up!  It is time to get back to work. 

 

The first words of the Catechism express the infinite perfection, blessedness and goodness of God. God created man to “make him share in his own blessed life.” God made us to be happy and live forever with a share of the His own life. This fact alone is astounding. It has been revealed to Israel and to all the nations of the world through the Church that God is good and that He loves the humanity that He has created.

A second key point is that God draws close to man! Notice that the Catechism does not teach that man first seeks God.  Rather, the witness of history and the Holy Scriptures is that God initiates the relationship with His people.  History is full of failed efforts, false religions, and hopeless philosophies that seek to either invent or posit a “god” to worship or to ignore God and create a man made utopia.  Our Lord is revealed as “Father” who seeks after the love and good of His children.

The good and loving Holy Trinity calls man to a relationship with God: to “seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength.” In the same way, God calls men into the unity of the Church. The cause of our disunity is sin. Just as God initiates a loving relationship with men, He initiated and executed the Plan of Salvation that redeemed and justified man before God.

The supremely loving act of the Father was to send His Son as “Redeemer and Savior.” In and through the Son, God invites men, “in the Holy Spirit”, to be his adopted children and “thus heirs of His blessed life.” The teaching and life of the Church is about our response to this invitation and the life we live as restored, redeemed, and justified sons and daughters of the Lord!

CCC 1

1 God, perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.

Q&A

Q. What are the very first words of the Catechism that describe God?

A. God is described as infinitely perfect and blessed in himself.

Q. Why did God create man?

A. God created man in a plan of sheer goodness so that man could share in His own blessed life.

Q. Does God draw close to and call man?

A. God both draws close to man and calls man. The Catechism says that God draws close to man at every time and in every place.

Q. What is God’s call to man?

A. God calls man to seek Him, to know Him, and to love Him with all his strength. He makes this call to man while constantly drawing closer to man.

Q. Does God call men to unity with one another?

A. Yes. Like all good Fathers, God wants His children to live in harmony and unity with one another.

Q. What is the source of division among men?

A. Sin.

Q. What type of unity does God desire for men?

A. God desires that all men should be united with one another in the family of the Church which is visible and identifiable to all men.

Q. How has God overcome sin and disunity?

A. God accomplished the defeat of sin and unity through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. God sent His Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, to men and to become one with us. Through the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord, the work of redemption and salvation was accomplished. Jesus Christ established the unified family of God in His Church.

Q. What is the status of men who enter the Church?

A. Those who enter the Church in faith in Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit, are made His adopted sons and daughters and thus heirs of His blessed life.

BREVIARY

God is infinitely perfect and blessed in Himself.

God created man in a plan of sheer goodness in order to share His blessed life .

God calls all men to Himself and He draws men to unity in His Church.

All disunity among men is caused by sin.

God has defeated sin and disunity through His Son, who became one with us, and who suffered, died, and rose again.

The work of redemption and salvation was accomplished through Our Lord's suffering, death, and resurrection.

All who enter the Church in faith in Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit, are made His adopted sons and daughters and are thus heirs of His blessed life.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Pray for us!

Catechism Project Link

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