1. Church: The Sacrament of God’s Grace
Chapter 6

2. Sacrament?
VISIBLE sign instituted by God (Christ) to give invisible grace.
(Sacraments are outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification) 
Jesus is the ultimate sacrament of God
The Church is also considered to be a sacrament of God.

3. The 7 Sacraments INITIATION HEALING VOCATION Baptism Reconciliation
Marriage
Confirmation
Sacrament of the Sick
Holy Orders
Eucharist

4. Church, legacy of Jesus, work of the Spirit
Page 107, story of hermit Anthony
Challenge: how to proclaim & put into practice gospel ethics?
Who can live this type of perfection?
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.”
G.K. Chesterton  Chapter 5, What’s Wrong With The World, 1910)

5. The Church begins to take form
50 years after crucifixion, disciples gather in many places
Become known as “christians”
“break bread together” as taught by Jesus on day after Sabbath
Not structured yet
Charismatic, wandering prophets / teachers
Leaders began to organize communities
Help 2nd generation of believers
How to take Jesus’ words, deeds  practices, teachings, moral behaviours & worship
Authority for resolving disputes

6. The role of the Holy Spirit
Read Acts (p. 108)
Holy Spirit: the link connecting Jesus with the first followers
Those who followed Jesus, experienced the Resurrection, eyes opened to see & interpret His story
They baptized, taught, prayed with new followers
Broke bread
Shared possessions
Church begins to take shape guided by the Spirit

7. Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles
Paul wrote his letters to Christian communities before the Gospels were written
He wasn’t originally a follower of Jesus
Persecuted Christians
Saul, Shammaite Pharisee, Christians were seen as “polluters” of Jewish Law and this stood in the way of Israel’s being free from foreign domination
See Acts (page 110 text)

8. Conversion “Conversion today” p. 112 Change: Mind Heart Behaviour
Turning one’s life “upside down”
Making a u-turn
“Conversion today” p. 112

9. Jesus was dangerous for Saul
So were the followers of Jesus
They had different agendas
They didn’t take the law seriously
Didn’t show reverence for the Temple
Proclaimed Jesus as risen from the dead
How could this be?
The world was in the same rebellion
The pagans hadn’t been defeated
Saul’s experience of the blinding light  Jesus was the Messiah, the anointed one of God
Until Jesus returned again, it was the age of the Church
Paul became convinced that the Gentiles were part of fulfilling God’s promise

10. The Church develops a self-understanding: The Trinity in history
God played a role in the life of the early Church
Holy Spirit’s descent on Pentecost
Christian living = “living in the Spirit”
Connection to each other  “Body of Christ”
Purpose of the Church?
To reflect a communion of love & life similar to God’s (i.e. Trinity see note page 113, CCC #1997)

11. God seems to revel in diversity!
E.g. the growing diversity of different peoples
Call of Abraham &, Sarah: restoring creation after sin of Adam
Call of Moses to create a new nation
Call of prophets
The mission of Jesus

12. Matthew 23.37
“How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

13. John
“Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

14. Church: instrument of God’s love / grace
Church where the love of God for Jesus is made visible
Church reaches out:
Poor
Sick
Church: a sacrament of God’s activity of gathering, a sign of God’s love in the world

15. The Spirit’s Mission
To complete what the Father sent Jesus to do:
To show the world how great God’s love is
John 13.1 “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”