Module 3 Church

UNIT 2 – THE NATURE OF THE CHURCH
NATURE?
Nature, in its strict sense, is equated
with “essence”.
Essence is that which makes a thing

what it is.
MODULE 3 – THE CHURCH: THE
PEOPLE OF GOD AND THE BODY OF
CHRIST
OBJECTIVES
Have a deeper understanding of the Church as
the People of God and the Body of Christ.
Bear witness to their functions as members of the
Church.
Pray for the unity of the Church.
• “Qahal” - Hebrew word which means “assembly” or
“congregation”.
• “Qahal Yahweh” - refers to the people called by Yahweh
to be His own – the Chosen People.
• The whole story of the Israelites is a story of the covenant

b/w Yahweh & His people.
• Qahal Yahweh - considered as the anticipation of the new
and definitive covenant which was to be established
through Jesus Christ.
• God called a race and choose some individuals to
lead His chosen people.
• Why did God call a race or a people & not only

individuals or groups of individuals?
• According to Vatican II: “God has, however, willed to
make men holy and save them, not as individuals
without any bond or link between them, but rather to
make them into a people who might know and
acknowledge Him and serve Him in holiness” (LG, 9).
• It means that God formed the Israelites into a
community because He wanted them to have a bond
of love w/c, when lived & shared with one another,
would manifest His goodness & love for all people.
The Church as PEOPLE OF GOD (the most fundamental category
for the Jewish people to express their identity) :
God, who wished to make humankind holy, formed a single people

– in preparation for the new people God would call forth; both Jew
& non-Jew (Gentile) to be united in the Holy Spirit.
This image emphasizes the dignity of each individual Christian

who has been called by Christ into a fellowship of life, love &
truth..
 From the moment of our birth, we already form part of a
community – the FAMILY.
 FAMILY – the foremost community of LIFE & LOVE.
 As we grow up, we become members of a larger

community – the SOCIETY, wherein we learn to deal with
people & develop ourselves as persons.
 When we pursue our desire for education, we belong to
another community w/c offers us an invaluable
opportunity for learning & human dev’t – the SCHOOL
 At baptism, we are incorporated into our FAITH
community – the CHURCH. We belong to the Church as
a community of kings, priests, & prophets.
 The Church is a community of believers.
 As members of the Church, we enter into communion

with God & in unity among all men (cf. LG, 1).
 When we join the Church’s liturgical celebrations,
especially the Holy Mass, we express our being Church,
that is, our being People of God.
• “No man is an island.”
• In the framework of religion, it means that although as
individuals we must strive for Christian perfection and
holiness of life, it is however by means of the Church
through:
• a) liturgy, b) sacraments, c) prayers, and d) spirituality
• that we are able to connect with the Father, Son, Holy
Spirit, and with each other as people of God.
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS
The image of the Church as the People of God is already found in
the OT covenant b/w God & Israel – the Israelites were called the
chosen people of God.
The Church as the congregation of all those who are baptized &
believe that Jesus Christ is Lord & Savior is the People of God.
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the characteristics
of the People of God: “The People of God is marked by
characteristics that clearly distinguish it from all other
religious, ethnic, political, or cultural groups found in history:
a) It is the People of God – God is not the property of any one

people. But He acquired a people for Himself from those who
previously were not a people.
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS
b) One becomes a member of this people not by a physical birth,
but by being “born anew”, “a birth of water & the Spirit”, that is, by
faith in Christ, and Baptism.
c) This People has for its Head Jesus the Christ (the Anointed; the
Messiah). Because the same anointing, the Holy Spirit, flows from
the head into the body, this is the “messianic people”.
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS
d) The status of this people is that of the dignity & freedom of the
sons of God, in whose hearts the Spirit dwells as in a temple.
e) Its law is the new commandment to love as Christ loved us.

This is the “new” law of the Holy Spirit.
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS
f) Its mission is to be salt of the earth & light of the world. This
people is “ a most sure seed of unity, hope, & salvation for the
whole human race”.
g) Its destiny, finally, “is the Kingdom of God w/c has been begun
by God Himself on earth & must be further extended until it has
been brought to perfection by Him at the end of time” (CCC, 782)
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS
The whole People of God is a priestly, prophetic, & kingly
people. Its members through faith & baptism share in these 3
offices of Christ w/c are exercised in their mission to sanctify,
teach, & serve in the name of Christ (cf. CCC, 783-786).
a) The Church fulfills the priestly office of Christ when she leads
all her members – clergy & laity alike – to live out the baptismal
call to holiness.
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS
b) The Church carries out the prophetic office when she
proclaims the Word of God & calls on her members to be
witnesses of Christ by word & testimony of life.
c) The Church exercises her kingly office in a special way

through the Pope, bishops, & pastors whose task is to serve with
humility, love, & compassion.
MODULE 3 (Part 2) – THE CHURCH AS THE
BODY OF CHRIST
OBJECTIVES
Understand that the Church is the Body of Christ.
Bear witness to their functions as members of the
Church.
Pray for the unity of the Church every day.
 “The comparison of the Church with the body casts light
on the intimate bond b/w Christ & His Church. Not only is
she gathered around Him, she is united in Him, in His
body” (CCC, 789).
 The scriptural metaphor of the body referring to the

Church is very rich in meaning.
 It was 1st used by St. Paul to address the 1st Christians :

• “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts
of it”
(1 Cor 12:27).
• “So we, though many, are one body in Christ &
individually parts of one another”
(Rom 12:5).
 2 Fundamental insights about the Church:
 1) Our union with Christ is in the form of a body – we are

His body & He is our head.
 The body cannot do away with the head, for it is the head
that commands & directs the body.
 2) In this “Body of Christ”, there is unity in diversity –
we, though many, are one.
 Different parts of the body perform respective roles &

functions, but necessarily in harmony & unity with each
other.
 The Church is the organism through w/c Christ

continually performs His work of salvation.
• Saying “Amen” implies 3 things :
A) That we fully believe that Christ is really present, Body &

Soul, His humanity & divinity in the sacred host
B) That we heartily accept the Body of Christ
C) That in receiving Him we want to be in communion with
Him
• The traditional meaning that we, Catholics, refer to the
expression “Body of Christ” is the real presence of Christ
in the Eucharist.
• It is the exact words uttered by Jesus at the Last Supper:
“This is my body” (Lk 22:19).
• However, St. Paul used this expression to refer to the
Christian Church (1 Cor 12:12-14).
The Church as the MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST
Just as the body has many parts which serve different functions,
so too, in the Church there are different roles to play. Each
member of this body contributes an important service to others,
when Christian life is lived well.
All Christians are to live responsibly. Thus, we realize here

on earth the mission of Jesus: to build the kingdom of
brotherhood & justice that God wants.
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS
When we speak of Christ’s “body”, it can mean 3 things, namely :
1) The physical body of the historical Jesus assumed at the

incarnation
2) The Eucharistic body w/c is the sacramental presence of the
Risen Christ in His saving sacrifice
3) The mystical body, the Church, the faithful united to Christ as
their head & vivified by His Spirit (cf. CFC, 1386).
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS
“By communicating His Spirit to His brothers & sisters, called
together from all peoples, Christ made them mystically into His
own body”(LG, 7).
The word “mystical” is what characterizes the union b/w the

glorified Christ & the Church.
This concept refers to a reality that is not limited to sensible
appearances because it belongs to the mystery of God’s
salvific plan revealed in the Gospel.
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS
Therefore, the Church is not just like a body, but is the Body of
Christ, really made one in Him, in His “mystical” body (cf. CFC,
1385).
This fundamental image of the Church as the “Body of Christ” is
derived from the Scriptures.
St. Paul spoke of the “head of the body” (Col 1:18), w/c is distinct
from the body, but is united with it (cf. Col 1:24)
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS
3 Aspects of the Church as the Body of Christ :
A) The unity of all her members with each other as a result of
their union with Christ
B) Christ as head of the Body
C) Church as bride of Christ (CCC, 789).
Read 1 Cor 12:4-6

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UNIT 2 – THE NATURE OF THE CHURCH

Essence is that which makes a thing

• The whole story of the Israelites is a story of the covenant

• Why did God call a race or a people & not only

God, who wished to make humankind holy, formed a single people

This image emphasizes the dignity of each individual Christian

 As we grow up, we become members of a larger

 As members of the Church, we enter into communion

a) It is the People of God – God is not the property of any one

e) Its law is the new commandment to love as Christ loved us.

c) The Church exercises her kingly office in a special way

 The scriptural metaphor of the body referring to the

 It was 1st used by St. Paul to address the 1st Christians :

 1) Our union with Christ is in the form of a body – we are

 Different parts of the body perform respective roles &

 The Church is the organism through w/c Christ

A) That we fully believe that Christ is really present, Body &

All Christians are to live responsibly. Thus, we realize here

1) The physical body of the historical Jesus assumed at the

The word “mystical” is what characterizes the union b/w the

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