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Mandaluyong City
CHRISTIAN LIVING II
Handouts
Subject Teacher:
Mr. Gerald S. Cabrestante
Lesson 1: We believe that as friends of Christ we are all called to be holy
The Church and Saints
When the New Testament talks about the Church it speaks of an assembly of people. In
the Bible the word Church is a translation of the Greek word ekklesia,
ekklesia, meaning "a
calling for an assembly.
It is therefore important to take note the difference between the Church and the
church. Jesus thought of the Church as the people of God, the early believers of
Christ who gather in His name. Later on, it just developed into structures of worship
especially in the medieval ages.
Pilgrim Church
Like the Israelites journeying towards the Promised Land, as a Church, we journey as
pilgrims in this life, hoping to enjoy one day the fullness of life. That is why we call
ourselves a pilgrim Church.
Thus the Catholic Church was born. We who have become members of the Church
through Baptism captures the idea of a Church exiled from her true homeland but
gradually making her way home by faith and not by sight. Indeed, we are pilgrims
journeying to our final goal in heaven.
Civilization of Love
The Church is ONE - We are ONE because all of us of different races and cultures
are united around the Pope, our Head, the Vicar of Christ.
The Church is HOLY - We are HOLY, because our goal is to become like God, holy
and without sin. Those already in heaven are saints, made holy by God. We are still
pilgrims on earth, striving to live holy lives.
The Church is CATHOLIC - We are CATHOLIC (meaning universal), because in
obedience to Christ who sent his apostles to the whole world, our Church is open to
every race, language and people. This is the beauty of Gods plan of salvation, in
choosing few, he chose the whole of humanity
The Church is APOSTOLIC - We are APOSTOLIC inasmuch as we are all sent to
continue preaching the Good News of Salvation, to spread the love of God in all we
meet, to be ourselves witnesses of Gods transforming love.
The Facts of Death
The fact is that death is a reality in life. We cannot escape it. How foolish when people
spend all the resources they have to be younger. If there is really a fountain of youth or
a flask of immortality, many would try to seek for them. But we cannot escape death.
The awaiting of the day of the Lord. Gods justice will have the final say
about all of human history, bringing all things to their complete fulfillment
and providing the unshakeable ground of Christian hope
What is a Saint?
Saints, broadly speaking, are those who follow Jesus Christ and live their lives
according to his teaching. Catholics, however, also use the term narrowly to refer to
especially holy men and women who, through extraordinary lives of virtue, have
already entered Heaven.
Like all Christians, Catholics believe in life after death, but they also believe that our
relationship with other Christians does not end with death. Catholic prayer to saints is
recognition of this communion.
Intercession of Saints:
When they act on behalf of humanity, it is called intercession. People who pray to a
saint for intercession dont believe that healing, forgiveness, or various blessings come
from the saint. Instead, they come from God but on account of the saints help. In
this way, veneration of saints is essentially also a form of worship of God because the
holiness and power of saints can only come through God.
Canonization of Saints
If a person is martyred for the faith, miracles are not necessary to be declared a saint.
As mentioned above, the purpose of canonization is to verify that the person is now in
heaven, and all those who die as martyrs are believed to go directly to heaven.
For those who died naturally, however, at least one miracle is necessary to be
declared Blessed (beatified) and at least two miracles are necessary to be declared a
saint (canonized). These miracles must have occurred after the person's death (to
demonstrate that the person is in heaven and able to assist the living), but miracles
during his or her lifetime may also be taken into account as evidence of God's favor.
When considering a reported miracle, the Church often consults with medical,
scientific and theological experts to see if there might be alternative explanations. If
the experts can find no explanation, they report that to the Church (they do not
declare the event to be a miracle, just that they could find no natural explanation.