COURSE CONTENT:

Module 3.
Nature of the Church
Lesson 3.1
The Church as Mystery
Lesson 3.2
The Church as Sacrament
Lesson 3.3
The Scriptural Images of the Church
1355. Ekklesia. This “more” of the
Church can be shown first of all
from its long history. Our Catholic
Church traces its origin back to the
Old Testament qahal and the New
Testament ekklesia (CCC 751f).
Both terms mean “the people of
God called together,” or an
“assembly convoked by God.”
Thus, they stress the action of God
in calling the people together.
The Church thus claims to be a
faith-assembly whose root
cause is God’s free call to all to
share His divine goodness and
love in Christ.

The Church therefore is not

just a social grouping of people
drawn together by cultural
values and attitudes.
 These salvific realities are also
called “mysteries” because of
their inexhaustible richness. It is
in this sense that we speak of the
Church as “mystery.” By this
term, then, we mean not
something we cannot know nor
understand, but rather a reality
we can never fully grasp because
there is always more to learn
(cf. NCDP 200).
 1357.
The Church is related to each Person of
the Blessed Trinity.

First, to the eternal Father who

“resolved to assemble all those who
believe in Christ in the holy Church.”
In the Father’s plan, the Church was:
• PREFIGURED from the beginning of
the world; • PREPARED wonderfully in
the history of Israel, • INSTITUTED
finally in these last times,
•MANIFESTED in the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit, • to be brought to
COMPLETION at the end of time
(cf. LG 2; CCC 760-69).
1358.
Second, to the Incarnate Son,
Jesus Christ. “Christ, the one
Mediator, established and
ceaselessly sustains here on
earth his holy Church” (LG 8; cf.
CCC 763-66).
The Church originated and
grew from Christ. “From the
side of Christ as He slept the sleep of
death upon the Cross came forth the
wondrous sacrament of the whole
Church” (SC 5).
Our life in the Church is completely
Christ-centered: “All men are called
to this union with Christ who is the
light of the world, from whom we go
forth, through whom we live, and
toward whom our whole life leads
us” (LG 3).
Discuss the nature of the Church by
differentiating
QAHAL and EKKLESIA.
How does this stress the action of
God in calling people together?
 CONTRAST
MYSTERY and SACRAMENT