The 4 Marks of the Church THE CHURCH IS CATHOLIC

- what makes us unique; distinguishes us from “Catholic” means “universal, complete, all-
all other churches embracing”
- four basic marks by which we can be identified Christ’s mandate: Go out to all nations for all
as the Church of Christ times and spread the Good News
- proclaimed by the early Church in the Creed Therefore, all people everywhere are invited
- The marks are also tasks or challenges for us to become members of the Church.
The Church continues to teach everything that
ONE Christ taught and gives witness to all that Christ
HOLY is and did.
CATHOLIC
The Church offers access to a FULL faith
APOSTOLIC
relationship with the Risen Christ.
THE CHURCH IS ONE
THE CHURCH IS APOSTOLIC
Its source is the ONE living God who calls us to
Originates from the apostles themselves
unity
Church passes on all authentic teachings of
We are baptized into the ONE faith handed
the apostles to successive generations of
down from the apostles
Christians through the living Tradition
We have ONE Lord and ONE worship. (Apostolic/Church Tradition)
We are instructed, sanctified, and guided by
VISIBLE sign of this ONENESS: the POPE, the
the apostles and their successors, the BISHOPS.
vicar of Christ on earth. He is the Bishop of
Pope Benedict XVI, and the other Popes, can
Rome, the visible head who governs the
claim a connection with the FIRST bishop of the
Catholic Church. There is only ONE pope in the
apostolic Church – Peter.
universal Church.
The Church is . . .
WE have the SAME Creed, SAME Mass, SAME
ONE … but there is division even among us
seven sacraments, and SAME moral teachings in
members of the Church.
the local churches throughout the world.
HOLY … but it still includes us sinners – the
TASKS: unholy.
UNITY – does not mean identical or CATHOLIC … meant for all but there is
disallowing differences. We express our faith in prejudice from among its members, lack of
our own unique traditions and culture while openness to other believers and non-believers.
remaining united to the ONE universal Church. APOSTOLIC … but there are many who
ignore or deny the Pope and the bishops as
THE CHURCH IS HOLY successors of the Apostles.
Its founder and head is holy – JESUS
Participating in the mission of the Church
Its soul – the HOLY SPIRIT sanctifies and
• By virtue of our Baptism and Confirmation we
graces all members
are given the mission – to LIVE our Christian
It fosters the holiness of its members through
faith AS members of the Church
the Sacred scriptures, Apostolic tradition, the
Creeds, Sacraments, moral principles and
Where does this mission come from?
virtues, and saints
Mt. 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples
We are called to holiness, or “wholeness” of of all nations . . .
our complete persons. Acts 1:8 you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes upon you …
The mission of the Church comes from the
mission of Jesus himself – we continue his work
of proclaiming the Kingdom of God and ORIGINS OF BUDDHISM
witnessing to it.
For each mission, God gives us the Buddhism began in India and became a major
corresponding GRACE to be able to fulfill our religion
tasks.
CHRIST IS… WE ARE SHARERS IN CHRIST’S Main Ideas:
THREEFOLD MISSION. WE ARE ALSO …
PROPHET Prophet  Siddhartha Gautama searched for
PRIEST Priest wisdom in many ways
KING King  The teachings of Buddhism deal with
TRIPLE MISSION OF THE CHURCH finding peace
o PROPHETIC – proclaiming and teaching God’s
 Buddhism spread far from where it
Word
began in India
o PRIESTLY – celebrating the sacred mysteries
o KINGLY – serving the people of the world Siddhartha questioned the meaning of life,
determined to find the answers using:
*They overlap and interrelate with one another.
PROPHETIC MISSION  Meditation
• Proclamation of the GOSPEL
 Fasting
• By sharing the Word of God with others
• By witnessing through acts of love and service  Learning from different teachers
to others
Found it under the Tree of Wisdom while
• Church authoritative teachers: Pope, bishops,
priests. Their duty: to teach authoritatively the meditating
Word of God
Called the Buddha (Enlightened One)
PROPHETIC MISSION FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
ROLE OF FAMILIES
INFLUENCE AND IMPORTANCE OF MEDIA 1. Suffering and unhappiness are part of
YOUNG PEOPLE AS EVANGELIZERS
human life. No one can escape sorrow.
PRIESTLY MISSION 2. Suffering comes from our desires for
OFFERING OUR PRAYERS AND SACRIFICES, pleasure and material goods.
PARTICIPATING ACTIVELY IN THE EUCHARIST 3. People can overcome desire and
PRAYER AND LITURGICAL LIFE ignorance and reach nirvana, a state of
WE ARE A PRAYING CHURCH perfect peace.
4. People can overcome ignorance and
KINGLY MISSION
desire by following an eightfold path
we are called to SERVE others
JESUS SAID – “I came to serve and not to be that leads to wisdom, enlightenment,
served.” and salvation.
Whatever we do to improve the world and
order it to the values of the Kingdom is The Eightfold Path
exercising our KINGSHIP IN CHRIST
We are a SERVANT CHURCH
1. Right Thought
 Believe in the nature of existence as o Env. Influence – Maternal
suffering and in the Four Noble Truths.
2. Right Intent  Stage 2- Muscular and Anal (2-3)
Incline toward goodness and kindness o Early Childhood
o Autonomy VS. Shame and
3. Right Speech
Doubt
Avoid lies and gossip o Strength Willpower
4. Right Action o Env. Influence – Both parents
Don’t steal from or harm others and adult substitutes
5. Right Livelihood
Reject work that hurts others  Stage 3 – Locomotor (4-5)
6. Right Effort o Preschool
o Initiative VS Guilt
Prevent evil and do good
o Strength: Purpose
7. Right Mindfulness o Env. Influencer: Parents, family
Control your feelings and thoughts and friends
8. Right Concentration
Practice proper meditation  Stage 4 – Latency (6-11)
o Middle Childhood
o Industry VS. Inferiority
Buddhism splits into two main sects:
o Strength: Competence
Theravada and Mahayana
o Env. Influence: School
 Member of the Theravada followed the
Buddha’s teachings exactly  Stage 5 – Adolescence (12-18)
 Members of the Mahayana believed o Identity VS. Role Confusion
that individual interpretation was o Strength: Fidelity
important o Env. Influence: Peers

ERICKSON’S PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT  Stage 6 – Young Adulthood (18-35)

THEORY o Intimacy VS. Isolation
o Strength: Love
The Eight Stages of Human Development o Env. Influence: Spouse, lover,
friends
 Erikson’s theory is based on the idea that
development through life is a series of  Stage 7 – Middle Adulthood (35-65)
o Generativity VS. Stagnation
stages which are each defined by a crisis or
o Strength: Care
challenge. o Env. Influence: family, society
 Stage 8 – Maturity (Over 65)
o Old Age
o Integrity VD. Despair
o Strength: Wisdom
o Env. Influence: All Humans
LIFE STAGES HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
 Stage 1 – Oral Sensory (1)
o Infancy  Infancy: birth to 1 year
o Crisis: Trust VS. Mistrust  Early Childhood: 1 to 6 years
o Strength : Hope  Late Childhood: 6 to 12 years
  Adolescence: 12 to 20 years  Vegetarianism – sacred cannibalism
 Early Adulthood: 20 to 40 years  Sacred prostitution to celibacy
 Middle Adulthood: 40 to 65 years
Anthropological Perspective
 Late Adulthood: 65 years and up
- The study of humankind, in particular
Four Main Types of Growth and Development
 Physical: Body Growth CULTURE
 Mental: mind development
- Kinship
 Emotional: feelings
- Religion
 Social: interactions and relationship
- Economy
with others
- Language
GROWTH generally refers to changes in size
Religion differs from FAITH from REASON
DEVELOPMENT occurs through maturation of
PROFANE relating or devoted to that which is
physical and mental capacities and learning not sacred or biblical; secular rather than
The period of an individual’s development is the religious
time between conception and death SACRED revered due to sanctity, is in general
FERTILIZATION is the union of an egg cell with a the state of being holy
spermatozoon
4 COMBINATIONS OF PROFANE AND SACRED
GESTATION is the period from fertilization to
1. Sacred over the profane (theocracy)
birth which is approximately 40 weeks o Priest rule in the name of God
The period in which the product of conception 2. Profane over the Sacred
develops is known as pregnancy o Communist led sacraments
3. The profane separate and a counterpart
A baby or infant is referred to as neonate for to sacred
the first four weeks of life o Separation of church and state
4. The sacred as partly touching the
Neonatologists specialize in caring for neonates
profane
with severe health problems
TRANSCENDENCE
Pediatricians treat children from the neonate
stage through the teenage years - Absolute (GOD) is beyond all created
things
Gerontology is the medical specialty that
diagnoses and treats disorders present in old IMMANENT
age.
- As the absolute met in concrete things
THE MEANING OF RELIGION 4 COMBINATIONS OF TRANSCENDENCE AND
IMMANENT
 Fasting – Feasting
 1. Transcendent – transcendent
o God is male in Judaism,
Christianity and Islam
2. Transcendent – immanent
o The absolute is feminine as in
Hinduism
3. Immanent – transcendent
o The absolute is neuter as in
Buddhism
4. Immanent – immanent
o God or the Absolute is like a
Divine Force or power
o The absolute is personal as in
1. Faith – Shahadah
most Traditional religions
It is the declaration of faith spoken
o The image of God is tied up the by all Muslims. Must be spoken
type of culture and way of
publicly before a person can be
livelihood.
considered a Muslim
o The image of God for traditional
Filipinos is close to the fourth
2. Prayer – Salat/Salah
model
It is every Muslim’s duty to pray to
SUPERSTITION is the view of one’s religion as Allah five times a day. The purpose
the measure of another. It is how a dominant is to reaffirm ones’s submission to
religion denigrates and categorizes another God at critical moments of daily life
religion’s attitudes and behavior
3. Charity – Zakat
According to St. Paul (1 Cor. 13:8-13) only LOVE The amount of money that every
will remain in heaven Muslim who is financially able to
pay to support people who are poor
Buddhism considers religions as vehicles or
and needy
transports in going to the other world (p.47)
4. Fasting – Saum
When fasting, Muslims do not eat,
ISLAM TODAY drink or have sex

 There are an estimated 1.2 billion

5. Pilgrimage – Hajj
Muslims worldwide
It is the journey to Mecca that every
o Approximately 1/5 of the
adult Muslim should undertake at
world’s population
least once in their life. It promotes
o Growth without missionary
the bonds of Islamic brotherhood
efforts
showing that everyone is equal