Lesson 3:
The Apostolic Foundation of the Church
Who are the apostles? What characteristics
made Jesus choose them to become
apostles?
Jesus “appointed twelve (whom He also
named apostles) that they might be with
Him and He might send them forth to
preach”.
These original apostles were the witnesses to the
Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. The
apostles had ensured that other worthy men
would take over their ministry before they
expired. Jesus promised that He would remain
with them until the end of time.
By virtue of our baptism, we are called to be the
modern-day apostles. We are marked for Christ,
and we bear His identity as baptized Christians.
We are sent forth to witness to Christ through
our exemplary life of virtues and holiness as
active young people in our respective parishes
and communities. We can imitate the apostles in
following Jesus by being apostles.
Jesus made it clear that He wanted to build His
Church upon the chosen twelve apostles. He
chose twelve apostles because there were
twelve tribes of Israel. They were the faithful
remnants of the Old Israel and the fountain
heads of the new People of God. Jesus entrusted
the Kingdom to them and the Lord wanted to
maintain His presence through them.
Jesus built His Church on the apostles, especially
on Peter. At Caesarea, Philippi, Jesus named
Peter to be a foundational rock of the Church:
“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this
rock I will build My church” (Mt. 16:18).
In view of the apostles’ mission, Jesus instructed
them for their preaching task, gave them the
powers of binding and loosing, celebrating the
Eucharist, forgiving sins and baptizing.
The true Church must have the mark of
apostolicity. This means that the Church is
apostolic in her mission, in character, in
teachings and in descent.
First, apostolic mission implies that the Church
is the fulfillment of the mission of the apostles
who had been commissioned by Jesus when He
said, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the
gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15)
Second, apostolic in character means that her
organization is basically and essentially the
same as that of the Church mentioned in the
Acts of the apostles. Until now, the Church has
her bishops, priests, and deacons.
Third, the Catholic Church is apostolic in
teachings. The Church guards and proclaims
the teachings (Acts 2:42) and the words taught
by the apostles with the assistance of the Holy
Spirit.
Fourth, apostolic in descent means that the
Church is built and remains on the foundation of
the apostles with Christ Himself as the capstone.
Lesson 4:
The Salvific Mission of the Church
The common line that we use to wish
someone his or her well-being is “Ingat
palagi”. This has been expressive words of
endearment. At the heart of these words, we
want the safety of the person we care for.
Safety is a basic human need. This human
need is prominent in the school campus. No
one would want physical, emotional, and
physiological harm. It is for the same reason
that schools campaign against bullying. We
want a safe environment where we will be
accepted and respected.
In relation to this, God, in His infinite wisdom,
assembled the Church to bring forth our
salvation. This salvation for the body and soul,
has been won for us by Christ on the cross
and is offered to us by the Church as it is her
mission to continue the work of redemption
accomplished by Christ.
Based on the Bible and Sacred Tradition, Jesus
Christ established a community of believers.
We call this community His Church. One
becomes a member of the Church through
baptism. It is an organized religion that Christ
continues to govern, teach and sanctify
through His appointed leaders, who are the
apostles, the bishops as the apostolic
successors, the priests as the bishop’s closest
collaborators and the deacons.
God’s continual involvement in the lives of the
people of the Church is felt through the
sacraments, the teachings and
commandments of Christ, and the sanctifying
actions of the Holy Spirit, among others. This
mission is the mandate given by Christ to the
apostles to baptize and preach the Gospel to
all nations. This mission of the Church is to
continue the salvific work of Christ.
In consonance with His redemptive act, Jesus
had done three things that eventually
established the framework of His Church.
First, He had chosen some individuals to
carry out His work. He appointed Peter to be
the visible vicar. Jesus said to Peter, “You are
Peter, and upon this rock I will build My
church” (Mt. 16:18).
Second, Jesus had given Peter and the
apostles the power and authority to
accomplish His work. “Whatever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven” (Mt 16:19).
“Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you
forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you
retain are retained” (Jn 20:22-23)
Third, Jesus had given instructions to Peter
and the apostles regarding their task. At the
last supper, He commanded, “Do this in
memory of Me” (Lk 22:19)
The Catholic Church is the only church that
can claim to have a divine origin, to have
been founded by Christ, to have the apostles
as the founding pillars, and to have received a
divine mission. Christ, the Head, continues to
rule, instruct, and sanctify His people through
His Church, the body.
