ONE FAITH, ONE LORD – Chapter 7
1. Jesus invites us to follow him in his Church.
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The Church is the community of people who believe in Jesus Christ, have
been baptized, and follow his teachings.
The Catholic Church is rooted in beliefs, sacraments, and the ministry of Jesus
and the Apostles – those handpicked by Jesus to continue his preaching
Four identifying Marks of the Church, or essential characteristics of the
Church are that it is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic
2. The Church is one and holy.
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Saint Paul spoke to the Church in terms of the body – each part has its own
function, and all parts work for the good of the whole body.
“Now you are Christ’s body and individually parts of it” (1 Corinitians 12:27)
The Church is one brought into unity by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit & its
members together form the one Body of Christ, with Jesus Christ as the head.
Catholics celebrate their unity in the Eucharist.
Only God is holy, and our holiness is a share in God’s holiness.
Jesus prepared the way for people to become holy by his Death and
Resurrection. He calls us to be holy people dedicated to God and dedicated to
one another.
Holiness describes those who listen to the Gospel message and respond to it.
3. The Church is catholic (universal) and apostolic.
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The Church is catholic – universal and worldwide – the Church welcomes
everyone and is everywhere – it exists in all cultures and languages.
Jesus entrusted the Church to his Apostles, and he handed over the roles of
leadership and service in his community to Peter and the other Apostles
The Church was built on the faith of the Apostles
Apostolic succession – the Apostle’s authority and call to service that has
been handed down to their successors, the pope and bishops
The pope leads the whole church with the bishops – they teach the faith
which is to be believed and applied to moral life
Ecumenical councils – the meetings where the peope and the bishops come
together to discuss and make decisions on issues of faith, morals, and the life
of the Church