CHURCH AS MYSTERY AND SACRAMENT

1. Church as Mystery Septuagint usage MUSTERION which means SACRED SECRET is the Greek transliteration of mystery.

By the end of the second century A.D. it was used interchangeably with:

TUPOS = type SUMBOLON = symbol PARABOLE = parable

The Greek word musterion is sacramentum in Latin it means a sacred sign or symbol,

the word musterion is connected with several concealed or secret things in the New Testament. For example, the will of God, purpose of God.

MYSTERY

HIDDEN AND UNKNOWN REALITY

POINTS TO A TRANSCENDENT REALITY

DIVINE REALITY

OBJECT OF FAITH

CHURCH AS MYSTERY VATICAN II

TRANSCENDENT AND DIVINE REALITY

VISIBLY PRESENT AMONG MEN

THE CHURCH IS IN HISTORY BUT AT THE SAME TIME TRANSCENDS IT

THE CHURCH IS BOTH VISIBLE AND SPIRITUAL

2. CHURCH AS SACRAMENT LUMEN GENTIUM

SIGN SYMBOL OF A SACRED THING VISIBLE FORM OF INVISIBLE GRACE SIGN OF UNION WITH GOD

INSTRUMENT

BY MEANS OF WHICH GOD EXERCISES HIS SALVIFIC ACTIONS

MEANS TO ACHIEVE UNION WITH GOD

EFFECTS OF THE CHURCH AS SACRAMENT

SIGN OF INTIMATE UNION WITH GOD AND UNITY AMONG ALL MEN
INSTRUMENT FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT OF SUCH UNION/UNITY

CONCLUSION:
ULTIMATELY THE CHURCH IS A SACRAMENT IN CHRIST

THE NATURE OF THE CHURCH

DIVINE

HUMAN

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIVINE AND HUMAN THROUGH MEDIATION THE DIVINE IS MEDIATED THROUGH THE HUMAN INVISIBLE VISIBLE

FORMS OF MEDIATION

SACRAMENTAL PRINCIPLE ANALOGICAL PRINCIPLE INCARNATIONAL PRINCIPLE

INCARNATIONAL PRINCIPLE: A. BASIC ILLUSTRATION OF MEDIATION B. PARADIGMATIC MODEL OF DIVINE HUMAN RELATIONSHIP THE DIVINE IS MEDIATED THROUGH THE HUMANITY OF JESUS: THE DIVINE BECOMES HUMAN THE WORD BECOMES FLESH

AS APPLIED TO THE CHURCH GOD COMES TO US THROUGH JESUS AND IN THE SPIRIT THROUGH THE VISIBLE COMMUNITY OF THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS

THE CHURCH IS NOT JUST AN INVISIBLE REALITY

INVOLVING THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL IMMEDIATELY WITH GOD

THE CHURCH S ALSO VISIBLE HUMAN COMMUNITY

THROUGH WHICH: GOD COMES TO INDIVIDUALS INDIVIDUALS COME TO GOD