RCIA Session 24 : Ecumenism, The Priesthood of the Faithful, and - - PDF document

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RCIA

Session 24 : Ecumenism, The Priesthood of the Faithful, and Evangelization

Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

Jesus Prays for Unity (John 17:20-23)

• “I pray not only for them, but also for those who

will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as

• ne, that the world may know that you sent me,

and that you loved them even as you loved me.”

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

Jesus Prays for Unity (John 17:17-19)

• “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is
• truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent

them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

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Jesus Christ (2015) by Laur Iduc

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

Christianity is Divided

• True from the beginning (even in the Bible)
• Schism: refusal to acknowledge Pope’s

authority

• Heresy: obstinate refusal to believe Church’s

doctrine by a baptized person

• Apostasy: complete

repudiation of the faith

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

Christianity is Divided (cont.)

• Two major types of division

– Schism of the Eastern Orthodox Churches (11th century)

• Don’t accept papal primacy

– Protestantism

• Differences much greater than

papal authority alone

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Martin Luther (1529) by Lucas Cranach the Elder

Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

Christianity is Divided (cont.)

• Non-Christian communities (non-Trinitarian

and don’t acknowledge the divinity of Jesus)

– Unitarian-Universalists – Mormons – Jehovah’s Witnesses

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

Jesus Died to Save Everyone

• Some understand “predestination” to mean

Jesus died to save only some persons

– Yet many Scripture passages affirm that He died for all, loves all, and wants all to be in Heaven

• We are called to have faith in

Jesus and to obey what He has commanded us

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

Jesus is Our Only Salvation

• “There is no salvation through anyone

else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

• “For there is one God. There is also one

mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

Jesus is Our Only Salvation (cont.)

• “Those who, through no fault of their own, do

not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.” (CCC 847, LG 16)

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

The Role of the Church in the Salvation of All

• “[T]he Church […] is necessary for salvation

[…] Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.” (CCC 846, LG 14)

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

Role of the Church in the Salvation of All (cont.)

• For those who are not formally members of

the Church, “the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using [other communions] as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church.” (Pope John Paul II, That They All May Be One 10)

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

What We Must Do

• Catholics must work for Christian unity
• Personal conversion to seek holiness

– Lack of fidelity to Gospel causes divisions

• Fidelity to the authority of the Church

– Root of nearly all divisions – Individual opinions above teaching authority

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

What We Must Do (cont.)

• Pray in common with other Christians
• Joint efforts in good social works
• Authentic Christian witness

– True Christian love for everyone – Explaining the true faith that animates our lives – Always humble, never boastful

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

Practical Concerns

• Don’t partake of Lord’s Supper

in non-Catholic worship service

• Explain why

non-Catholics can’t partake of Eucharist at Mass

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Separated Brethren

Reason for Hope

• There has been progress toward Christian

unity

• Like Jesus,

we must pray to the Father for unity

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

The Priesthood of the Faithful

Introduction

• Baptism makes all Catholics members of Christ

and His Church

– Thus all share in His priesthood – All Christians are called by God to give witness to Him and to be examples of holiness – We are to draw all people back to God

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

The Priesthood of the Faithful

The Laity

• Those not called to priesthood or

consecrated religious life

• Vocation lived out primarily in the world

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

The Priesthood of the Faithful

Mission of the Laity

• Help spread he Kingdom of Christ
• A right and an obligation

by Baptism and Confirmation

– “Then Jesus approached and said to them, ‘All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

• f the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I

have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.’” (Mt 28:18-20)

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

The Priesthood of the Faithful

Mission of the Laity (cont.)

• Priestly Role

– Offer daily lives as spiritual sacrifices – Highest expression: Holy Eucharist

• Offer sacrifices along

with the priest through interior participation of the heart

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

The Priesthood of the Faithful

Mission of the Laity (cont.)

• Prophetic Role

– Spread the Gospel by words and witness – Matrimony and Christian family life particularly powerful witness

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

The Priesthood of the Faithful

Mission of the Laity (cont.)

• Kingly Role

– Work to establish the rule of Christ…

• in our own lives
• in the lives of others
• throughout the world
• In the secular world

where it’s an obstacle

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

The Priesthood of the Faithful

The Three Goals of the Lay Apostolate

• Evangelization

– Testimonies of a good Christian life, charitable deeds, and words – Witnessing to non-Christians – Teaching and encouraging Catholics – Explaining and defending Catholic beliefs – This is our mission – we cannot keep silent

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

The Priesthood of the Faithful

The Three Goals of the Lay Apostolate (cont.)

• Renewal of the temporal order

– All the things that make cultures and countries – Laity lives in the world so it is their special task

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

The Priesthood of the Faithful

The Three Goals of the Lay Apostolate (cont.)

• Charitable works and social aid

– Christian charity: reach out to those in need

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

The Priesthood of the Faithful

The Spiritual Life of the Laity

• A top priority
• Christ is the source of our spiritual life

– We must stay connected to Him to bear fruit

• Prayer
• Scripture
• Living a sacramental life

– No dichotomy between spiritual and secular

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Evangelization

• The very nature of the Church is missionary
• Sent to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28)

– Draw all nations back into communion with the Father

• Evangelization: proclaim saving message to all

those we meet

– For laity, accomplished in

• rdinary circumstances

at every opportunity – Through words and actions

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Evangelization

• God wants all persons “to be saved and to come

to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tm 2:4)

– We are His instruments to make this happen

• Always respect the dignity of the human person

– Evangelization is an invitation offered out of love

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Evangelization

• Prayer – the greatest work of evangelization

– Salvation is God’s work – Holy Spirit: companion and inspiration

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Session 24: Ecumenism, Priesthood of the Faithful, & Evangelization

Evangelization

• Promotion of social justice and

care for the poor

• Compassion helps others hear the message of

salvation

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