THE MISSION
OF THE
CHURCH
THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
According to the Catechism for Filipino Catholics, “the
Church has a mission mandate whose origin and goal is the
Blessed Trinity, motivated by God’s love and with the Holy
Spirit as Principal Agent” (CFC 1412). The Church has
received its mandate from Jesus himself in order to lead us to
God to whom we came from and our destination. It is the Spirit
of Love who moves the Church in order to be faithful to her
mission and calling. It is the same Spirit who allows us to
follow the examples of Jesus Christ.
THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines emphasizes
that “All are called to mission. All are called to evangelize” (PCP II
402). This means that the mission to spread the Word of God is not
just the task of the priest, religious, and catechist but it is the duty
of all members of the Church including the laity and the young
people. Each member is called to be an instrument of God’s love and
be a presence of Christ in the world. As Christians, we are called into
service especially to the poor and marginalized. We are commissioned
to social transformation by becoming the salt of the earth and light of
the world.
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
The mission mandated by Jesus Christ to
the Church has given rise to different ministries in
the Church. These ministries are fruits of the
grace of the Holy Spirit who is actively present in
the Church. Ministry is described as service
while Christian Ministry means serving the
people of God in a stable fashion.
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
Thus, ministry is characterized by:
• doing something;
• for God’s Kingdom;
• in public;
• on behalf of the Christian community;
• empowered by a gift of faith received in baptism, or
ordination; and
• identifiable within the diversity of ministerial activities (CFC
1420).
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
Ministry is given by God to the Church
in order to serve its people. It is a vocation of
all baptized disciples of Christ. Hence, let us
now discuss in details the different ministries
in the Church.
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
The ordained ministries arise from the
Sacrament of Orders. Jesus established this
ministry when He gave Peter the authority to
govern, teach, and sanctify the Church. He
provides the community of believers with
leaders who will serve the Church and act in
the person of Christ himself.
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
There are three degrees of the Sacrament of Orders namely,
the bishop, priest, and deacon (LG 28).
• The Bishop, as Vicar of Christ, has the pastoral responsibility for a
particular diocese entrusted to him.
• At the same time, he has collegially with all his brothers in the
episcopate, care for all the Churches.
• As a legitimate successor of the apostles, he has responsibility in
solidarity for the apostolic mission of the Church
• The Pope, the Bishop of Rome, and the successor of Peter, is the
head of the Church and the visible sign of Christ in the world.
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
For the priests, they are appointed to be coworkers of the Episcopal order for the mission
entrusted by Christ. The priests have three main
functions.
• The first one is to preach the Gospel
• Second is to shepherd the members of the Church
• Lastly, to celebrate divine worship as true priests of
the New Testament (LG 28)
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
Lastly, the “deacons serve the People of God in the service
of the liturgy, of the Gospel, and of works of charity” (LC 29; cf.
CCC 1569). Vatican II describes the responsibilities of deacons which is
mainly to “administer baptism solemnly, to be custodians and
distributors of the Eucharist, to assist and bless marriages in the
name of the Church, to bring Viaticum to the dying, to read the
Sacred Scripture to the faithful, to instruct and exhort the people,
to preside over the worship and prayer of the faithful, to
administer sacramentals, and to officiate at funeral and burial
services” (LG 29).
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
Lastly, the “deacons serve the People of God in the service
of the liturgy, of the Gospel, and of works of charity” (LC 29; cf.
CCC 1569). Vatican II describes the responsibilities of deacons which is
mainly to “administer baptism solemnly, to be custodians and
distributors of the Eucharist, to assist and bless marriages in the
name of the Church, to bring Viaticum to the dying, to read the
Sacred Scripture to the faithful, to instruct and exhort the people,
to preside over the worship and prayer of the faithful, to
administer sacramentals, and to officiate at funeral and burial
services” (LG 29).
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
The ministry of the laity or the lay faithful is founded in
the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Matrimony (CL
23). The task of every lay faithful, young and old is to evangelize
in whatever field they may be. They have the vastest area to be
of service and be living witnesses of Christ in the world. Lay
people are in the world of education, society, politics,
economics, mass media, sciences, arts, and so on. The Laity
has a big role in spreading the Good News to the people they
meet and encounter in their daily life.
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines
reiterates that the Church needs all lay faithful, rich and
poor, with special gifts, individual and collective, of
farmers, fishermen, workers, mass media practitioners,
educators and lawyers, civil servants, those in the medical
and nursing services, and professionals in the various
strata of society to fulfill the mission of communicating
Christ in the world (PCPC II 434).
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
The third ministry in the Church are the
consecrated life or the religious brothers and sisters.
They are the faithful followers of Christ who profess
and live the virtues of poverty, chastity, and
obedience. There are various forms of consecrated
life which includes the monastic, eremitic, secular
institutes, societies of apostolic life and religious
institutes.
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
Consecrated
life
can
be
expressed
in
contemplative spirituality which means a life full of
prayer and contemplation, and the other one is
contemplatives in action spirituality which consists of
prayer in action. The nature of this ministry can be
described as a radical discipleship and revitalized
witnessing with specific religious charisms.
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
The fourth ministry is the basic ecclesial
communities whose primary task is the
evangelization through spreading the Word of
God, establishing communities and serving
the local Church through different missionary
outreach and Christian formation.
THE MINISTRIES OF THE CHURCH
The Basic Ecclesial Communities or also
known as BECs become an effective means of
spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and bring
people closer to God by helping them cope in their
day-to-day struggles and difficulties in life. BECs have
even gone far not only in the Philippines but also in
foreign countries to help and reach out to those who
are in need of revitalizing their faith through Bible
sharing and encounters.
WE LIVE
When the Church was established during the Pentecost, the
followers of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, are tasked to spread the
Good News of salvation to the rest of the world. Becoming one of the
members of the Church, we are tasked also to share the Word of God to
others through words and deeds. It is a challenge for us to take part in
continuing growth of the Church in Spirituality observing the Love
Commandments of Jesus: Love your God; and Love your neighbor as you
love yourself.