1. State / discuss/ give the teachings of PCP II on becoming a church.

Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) states that the church of the poor is the
church that embraces and practices Evangelical spirit of poverty, which combines from
detachment from possessions with the profound trust in the Lord as the source of
salvation (PCP II, 25). Moreover, the PCP II emphasizes that the pastors and other
church leaders will give special attention and time to those who are poor, and will
generously share their own means in order to relieve their poverty and make them
known and feel the love of the God towards them regardless of their situation.

Communion is another teaching of PCP II on becoming a church. Each one is called

as individuals and each one must present a personal response. Christ wants the church
to be "a communion of life, love and truth". There should also be unity in diversity and
differences. There are different charisms and ministries in the Church, but there is only
one body. The diversity should not destroy the unity, but should bring out the collective
and necessary input of the different charisms and ministries. Dispensing requited
interaction of different members characterized the Church and through them that
people’s need is supplied and fulfilled.

Based on PCP II, participation is also another model of the church. Each has a gift
from the Spirit to share, and each has a need of the other's gifts for the establishment of
the body and for the fulfillment of its mission. It means that nobody is too poor as to
have nothing to give, and nobody is so rich as to have nothing to receive.

Furthermore, the Church practices Community-in-Mission. The Church is the

communion in the state of mission. It exists for the world not for itself or its members. It
is sent on a mission in the world to make known the Good News of Christ and to be a
channel of his grace. It exists in order to evangelize, to proclaim the Good News, to
build the Church and to serve the Kingdom by pervading the world with Gospel values
in order for all creations to get united together in Christ.

The Church makes sure that the call of being the church of the poor and community
of disciples passionately promotes a journey towards renewal, unity and empowerment
of the people to live with dignity amidst the crises and problems of our society. In
addition, it ratifies the true involvement of the people in changing the society to become
Christ-rooted and Christ-centered. It shows that the "new" Church must know how to
"identify the joys, hopes, grievances and aspirations of humanity and especially of the
poor as its own".

By virtue of our baptism, we must present ourselves as a sacrifice, living, holy and
pleasing to God, praising God and bearing witness to Christ. It is exercised by the
reception of the sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of the Holy life,
abnegation and active charity. We are tasked to spread the Good News of Christ to
others by the way we live our lives, behavior, testimony and teaching.

2. State / discuss/ give the essential characteristics of the church as well its
mission.

The essential characteristics of the church is ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, and

APOSTOLIC.

There is only ONE Catholic Church, united in faith, in worship, and in succession
from the Apostles themselves. For the Church is the Body of Christ Himself, and so is
whole and one as Christ's Body is whole and one. The Church recognizes one Lord,
confesses one faith, shares one style or form of Baptism, being part of only one Body,
and is given life by the Holy Spirit, for the sake of one hope, at whose satisfaction is all
divisions will be vanquished.

On the other hand, the Church is considered perfect and HOLY, called the spotless
bride of Christ, the uncorrupted Body of Christ which is filled with the Holy Spirit. It is still
holy and perfect regardless of the sinners that composed it because its head which is
Jesus Christ perfected it.

Moreover, the church is CATHOLIC, which means "universal" or it is for everyone. It

announces the fullness of faith. She bears in herself and administers the totality of the
means of salvation. She is sent out to all peoples and speaks to all men. She
encompasses all times. She is called missionary by her very nature.

Lastly, the Catholic Church is APOSTOLIC because it truly claims succession or

roots from the Apostles themselves. The bishops were ordained by the Apostles. The
passing on of the authority and mission of the Apostles throughout the time is directed
by the Holy Spirit who descended on the Apostles at Pentecost and remains with the
Church guiding Her until the Lord comes again.

3. State / give / discuss the Sacraments of Initiation. Its effects, forms, matter/s,
responsibilities of the God parents, witnesses, and ministers.

A sacrament is an outward efficacious sign instituted by Christ to give grace.

Jesus Christ himself is the sacrament, as he gave his life to save mankind. His
humanity is the outward sign or the instrument of his Divinity. It is through his humanity
that the life of the Trinity comes to us as grace through the sacraments. It is Jesus
Christ alone who mediates the sacraments to allow grace to flow to mankind. 

The sacraments of initiation are Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Through

these three, people are freed from the power of darkness. They die, buried, and rise
again together with the Lord Jesus Christ. They were able become the sons and
daughters of God because God has given them the spirit of adoption.

Among the three sacraments of initiation, Baptism is the first. Baptism is the
basis of the whole Christian life, as we are born of the water and the Spirit and receive
the grace of Christ. Baptism is necessary for salvation and conveys a permanent sign
that the new Christian is a child of God. Jesus himself was baptized in the Jordan River
by John the Baptist. Baptism is prefigured in the Old Testament through the saving of
Noah and his family during the Flood, and Moses crossing of the Red Sea during the
Exodus, leaving captivity for the Promised Land.

The Greek word baptizein means to "immerse, plunge, or dip." Baptism can be in

the form of water, blood, and desire. In water baptism, the infant or candidate is
anointed with the oil of catechumens, followed by the parents, godparents, or candidate
making the profession of faith. The essential rite of Baptism consists of the minister
immersing the baby or person in water or pouring water on his head, while pronouncing
"I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." The infant or
candidate is then anointed with sacred chrism. What has taken place in Baptism is
indicated by the rites that follow it, the clothing in the white garment and giving of the
lighted candle: the baptized person has "clothed yourself with Christ"

The effects of Baptism are the removal of the guilt of both original sin (the sin
imparted to all mankind by the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden) and
personal sin (the sins that we have committed ourselves); the remission of all
punishment that we owe because of sin, both temporal (in this world and in Purgatory)
and eternal (the punishment that we would suffer in hell); the infusion of grace in the
form of sanctifying (the life of God within us), the seven gifts or fruits of the Holy
Spirit and the three theological values; becoming a part of Christ; becoming a part of the
Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ on earth; enabling participation in the
sacraments, the priesthood of all believers, and the growth in grace.

Godparents, witnesses, and ministers have their own responsibilities in the

sacrament of baptism. First, Godparents for Catholic Baptism are like sponsors for
confirmation. However, they take on a different role since usually only children have
godparents for baptism. Their role is to take over or assist in the faith development of
the person being baptized. This is especially important in the event that the parents
cannot or do not adequately raise their children in the faith. Godparents can also be
helpful through their prayers and example even if the child’s parents fulfill their own
promise to raise the child in the faith. Therefore, the faith of the godparents is important
in fulfilling the baptismal promise of being raised in the Catholic faith. While a baptized
person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is called a witness and he or
she may perform all the parts of the ceremony that a godparent does. His or her name
will be entered into the Sacrament Record Book as an “official witness”. Also, the
Catholic Church has ordinary ministers for sacraments and those are bishops, priests,
and sometimes deacons. An ordinary minister is one who has the authority to perform
the sacrament under normal circumstances. 

On the other hand, Confirmation (or Chrismation) is the Sacrament of the Holy
Spirit, the Holy Spirit whom Christ Jesus sent. Jesus instructed his Apostles that "you
will receive the power of the Holy Spirit" and called upon the Apostles to be
his "witnesses" to the ends of the earth. At the Pentecost, the Apostles were filled with
the Holy Spirit and began to spread the Word of God. The Acts of the Apostles is often
called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is regarded as the perfection of
baptism, because, as the introduction to the Rite of Confirmation states: by the
sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and
are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence, they are, as true
witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and
deed.

            Catholic Confirmation is performed with the ordinary minister extending his hand
over the one to be confirmed and anointing his/her head with the oil of chrism saying,
“be sealed with the Holy Spirit.” The actual Confirmation ceremony is much longer than
this, but this is the “meat” of the action. The oil of chrism is consecrated by the bishop at
the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday and is reserved for special things like Baptism,
Confirmation, Holy Orders, blessing of tower bells, consecration of churches, altars,
chalices and patens.    

            The effects of Confirmation are: it enables to have a closer union with the church
and; it strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit to actively spread the faith.

Confirmation sponsors “bring the candidates to receive the sacrament, present

them to the minister for anointing, and will later help them fulfill their baptismal promises
faithfully under the influence of the Holy Spirit whom they have received.” They have a
significant role to play in the development of confirmation candidate that is why it is
important that this person be one who is a living example of faith, one whose actions
reflect the actions of Jesus. A confirmation sponsor offers support and encouragement
during the confirmation preparation process. Moreover, as the catechism of the Catholic
Church points out that the original minister of Confirmation is the bishop which means
they are the ones who have the authority to perform such sacrament.

Lastly, the Holy Eucharist, or Holy Communion which is the most central and
important to Catholicism. Holy Communion is offered at every Mass, and in fact, the
ritual of the Mass is largely taken up with preparing the hosts (wafers made of wheat
and water, or gluten-free) and wine to become the body and blood of Christ and the
congregation to receive the body of Christ. Transubstantiation is the act of changing the
substances of bread and wine into the substances of the Body and Blood of Christ.

The sacrament effects union with Christ; it is nourishment for the soul, gives
increase in grace and remits venial sin and punishment.

Just as people have to eat and drink in order to survive in good health, so our
spiritual life needs to be continuously nourished in order to survive. The life begun at
baptism and strengthened in confirmation is nourished and fed by the Eucharist. Thus,
our initiation into God’s life is an ongoing process as we continue to grow in that life.

Number 2 Question

State / discuss/ give the essential characteristics of the church as well its

mission.

1. Provide an outline of your chosen question

I. Introduction
II. Body (Four essential characteristics of the church as well its mission)

a. Church as One

b. Church as Holy

c. Church as Catholic

d. Church as Apostolic

III. Conclusion

2. Explain/discuss briefly your provided outline

I. Introduction

The four marks of the Church are that it is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. They are

inseparable and intrinsically linked to each other. Our Lord Himself in founding the

Church marked it with these characteristics, which reflect its essential features and

mission. Through the continued guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church fulfills these

marks. The four marks of the Church are not characteristics that the Church creates or

develops or learns. They are qualities that Jesus Christ shares with his Church through

the Holy Spirit. 

II. Body (FOUR ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH AS WELL ITS

MISSION)
a. Church as ONE

Just as God is one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so also is the Church one. The

church is one body, from different members, visible and invisible. The founder of the

Church is Jesus Christ, who brought us back to God and made us into the family of

God. The Church is one in the Holy Spirit, who dwells in those who believe. The

"oneness" of the Church is likewise visible. As Catholics, we are united in our Creed

and our other teachings, the celebration of the sacraments, and the hierarchical

structure based on the apostolic succession preserved and handed on through the

Sacrament of Holy Orders.

b. Church as HOLY

Holiness is of the essence of the Church. The Church, therefore, cannot cease to be

holy without ceasing to exist. As the unity of the Church implies its indivisibility, so the

sanctity of the Church implies its incorruptibility.  

The true Church, then, is holy. It is holy because the Third Person of the Eternal Trinity,

who inhabits it, guides it, and controls it, is Holy. Through the Holy Spirit the Church

leads others to holiness. The holiness of the Church is seen in the love that the

members of the Church have toward one another and the many sacrifices they make for

the sake of the world.

Moreover, the Church is holy because the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sins. By

the communication of the merits of Christ, through supernatural channels of grace, man

believing is justified. Of unjust he becomes just, receiving the justice of God within him,
which the Holy Ghost distributes to every one as He wills, and according to each one’s

proper disposition and cooperation. Not only is the church holy, but also her objective is

to make us holy, i.e. to live a holy life, to be different from the world, conformed to

Christ’s will.

c. Church as CATHOLIC

The church is Catholic and Catholic means “universal.”  The church is universal,

gathering all believers together in the unity of faith. Christ is universally present in the

Church and that He has commissioned the Church to evangelize the world. The

universal church brought together all the local churches in one church embracing all, in

one Creed, under uniform church laws. This universal church brings all believers

together in communion, in one faith, in the holy sacraments, and in partaking from one

altar. 

d. Church as APOSTOLIC

The church is apostolic because we can trace her existence historically directly back to

the Apostles. The term “Apostolic” signifies that the church was founded by one the

Apostles, and followed the teaching of the Apostles without any deviation till this

day. With the Holy Spirit the Church preserves and continues the teaching of the

apostles. The pope and bishops are the successors of the apostles.

III. CONCLUSION
These four marks of the Church one, holy, catholic, and apostolic — are fully realized in

the Catholic Church. While other Christian Churches accept and profess the Creed, and

possess elements of truth and sanctification, only the Roman Catholic Church reflects

the fullness of these marks.

3. Receipt/ proof of your participation in ANIMOSAIC