LESSON 10 LESSON 10 : THE CHURCH- A MYSTERY AND A SACRAMENT

THE CHURCH: A MYSTERY AND A SACRAMENT

GOD’S MESSAGE
Church: Wives and Husbands
Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ… as Christ is head of the church, he
himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to Christ, … as Christ loved the church and
handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might
present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and
without blemish. So also, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves
himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ does the church,
because we are members of his body. “For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined
to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and
the church. In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and
https://bit.ly/2V4ScAr
the wife should respect her husband.
- Ephesians 5:21-32

I. EXPOSITION
The Church as a mystery means that the Church is a divine, transcendent,
and salvific reality which is visibly present in the world. We can express this
truth in the following ways (CCC 771-773): (1) The Church is both divine and
human, visible but endowed with invisible realities, present in the world
and yet not at home in it. (2) The Church is a complex reality, made up of
human and divine elements, and comparable to the mystery of the incarnate word. (3) The Church is the
instrument of the glorified Lord and Holy Spirit for continuing the mission of saving all the people. (4) The
Church has a saving power because Christ acts in and through her.
The Church is a mystery because of its relationship to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
1. The Church originates from the Trinity (GS, 10)
 Came forth from the Father’s eternal love for mankind
 Founded in time by Christ the Savior
 Made one in the Holy Spirit
2. The Church mirrors the communion of the Trinity.
 The Trinity is a communion of love.
 By love the Father sent His only beloved Son to save mankind, and Son sent the Holy
Spirit as abiding presence of love.
 Through this Trinitarian love and the experience of communion in the Church, inspires
and leads us to work for God’s Kingdom.
3. The Church’s mission originates from the Trinity.
 The Church continues the redemptive of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
 “The Church is a communion in a state of mission” (PCP II, 103)
 Mission is not optional for us Christian
4. The Church journeys back to the Trinity
 “The Church, to which we are all called in Christ Jesus, and in which we acquire sanctity
through the grace of God, will attain its full perfection only in the glory of heaven, when
there will come the time of the restoration of all things, At that time the human race as
well as the entire world, which is ultimately related to man and attains to its end through
him, will be perfectly reestablished in Christ” (LG, 48).
 Allow the Sacraments and Word of God to help us do our Christian responsibilities in our
journey as a church.
The Church as a Mystery by reason of:

 Its origin in the Father’s plan of salvation,

 Its ongoing life in the Risen Christ and the Spirit, and
 LESSON 10 : THE CHURCH- A MYSTERY AND A SACRAMENT
 Its ultimate goal in the fully achieved Kingdom of God (CFC, 1361)
The Church is a mystery because of its relationship to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It manifests the
Blessed Trinity by both its nature and mission.
 First, by its origin the Church arose from the saving design of the Father, the redemptive mission
of the Son and the sanctifying work of the Spirit.
 Second, in structure: just as the Trinity is a community, the communion of love of Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, so too the Church is a community, a communion of believers drawn together by Christ
in the power of the Holy Spirit.
 Third, the mission of the Church originates “from the mission of the Son and the mission of3the
Holy Spirit, in accordance with the decree of God the Father”.
 Fourth, the destiny of the Church is full realization of this communion in the Kingdom of God. We
are pilgrims, because “joined with Christ in the Church and signed with the Holy Spirit ‘who is the
pledge of our inheritance’, we have not yet appeared with Christ in the state of glory in which we
shall be like God since we shall see Him as He is” (CFC, 1364).
CHURCH AS A SACRAMENT
https://bit.ly/3egjRWF
The Church, founded by Jesus, is a visible sign of
communion with God through Christ in the power of the Holy
Spirit. The communion is manifested by the members of the
Church, through the sharing of a common faith, a common
baptism, and common celebration of the Eucharist. It is an
outward sign of the inner communion of mind and heart that
exists among the faithful and ultimately the communion with God.
This sign is visible as membership itself and the sharing in the
common life of the Church. In a certain sense the visible character
of the Church exists precisely because of the visible character of
her sacraments. Those sacraments are visible precisely because in the Church is the action of the Mystical
Body of Christ.
The Church is the continuation and the abiding presence of Christ in the world. The Church is the
prime sacrament. She cannot be an empty sign, since she is permanent united with Christ.
Sacrament means “a sacred symbol.” To say that the Church is a sacrament means
that the Church is the visible or concrete of the Risen Christ’s presence in our world. When
others look at us, the church, they should see reflected in us the Risen Christ himself—his
teachings and values. When we, as a community of Catholic Christians, celebrate the
Eucharist or take a united stand against corrupt government leaders, we proclaim Jesus’
own mission of establishing God’s kingdom of love and justice on earth. We know by our
https://bit.ly/2V2WYys

faith, more than we can explain, that this is possible because the Holy Spirit dwells in the
Church, transforms our natural actions into the divinely graced acts of Christ himself in our
world.
The Church is a beacon of light visible to all and drawing them in the power of the
Spirit to communion with God and with one another in Christ (CFC 1369). “Rising from the dead, Christ sent
his life-giving Spirit upon his disciples and through the Spirit, set up his Body, which is the Church, as the
universal sacrament of salvation (LG 48).
The Church, as a mystery, is both sacramental sign and an instrument of intimate union with God, and
of the unity of all mankind. Christ then has made the Church the effective sign and symbol of (1) our union
with God; (2) the unity among men; and (3) of salvation.
Church is a sacrament in the world, a sacramental presence of Christ in an ever-changing world.
Empowered through baptism the lay faithful act as the heart of the Church in the heart of the world, to
witness as Christ did, to the luminous coming together of gospel and life. To the world, they manifest and
communicate Christ who loves, serves and saves.
 LESSON 10 : THE CHURCH- A MYSTERY AND A SACRAMENT
When God could no longer be visible on earth in the man Jesus, He wished to remain visible through
His Church, the Body of Christ. In and through the Church the graces which Christ obtained for us are made
visible and available. Yet the church still stands in need of salvation. The Church calls to Holiness all those
who belong to her. The more Christians grow in holiness, the more God’s grace will be visible on earth. As a
member of the Church, we are called to witness to this “sacramentality”. We are called to show through
our words and actions the salvation and unity that can be found in the Church. In addition, we should be the
salt of the earth, be examples of purity in thoughts, words and deeds. By our own presence, we defeat
corruption and make it easier for others to be good. In the world marked by poverty, oppression, injustice
and other sinful situations that deflate the spirit, we find solace in the Church. Amidst the gloom that besets
humankind at present, we the members of the Church are called to provide the glimmer of hope and speak
of joy. A joy that comes from knowing that Jesus Christ is constantly with us and will not leave us.

III. POINTS FOR REFLECTION

Do activity # 1 (Day 1)
IV. INTEGRATION
Do activity # 2 (Day 2 & 3)