CHAPTER 4

ONE:PRAYING FOR UNITY

UNITY

• UNITY IS A BASIC CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CHURCH

• GOD LOVES AND VALUES EACH OF US. IN THE CHURCH, NO ONE MINISTRY (OR MINISTER) IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER. WE ARE ALL MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST.

• WE NEED EVERY MINISTRY FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL.

ST. PAUL & CORINTH

• ST. PAUL WROTE TO THE COMMUNITY OF CORINTH BECAUSE THERE WAS MANY DISAGREEMENTS AMONG MEMBERS, A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF INDIVIDUALS’ ROLES, AND INATTENTION TO THE COMMUNITIY’S ORIGINAL MISSION

• ST. PAUL USED THE IMAGE OF THE BODY TO EXPLAIN THE RELATIONSHIP OF CHURCH MEMBERS TO CHRIST AND THE CHURCH.

PARTS OF BODY= MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH

• ST. PAUL EXPLAINED THAT GOD CONSTRUCTED THE BODY SO THERE WOULD BE NO DIVISION IN THE BODY.

• ALL THE PARTS OF THE BODY HAVE THE SAME CONCERN FOR ONE ANOTHER.

• EACH PART OF THE BODY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS ANY OTHER PART OF THE BODY.

• IN THE SAME WAY-EACH PERSON IS A NECESSARY PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. THAT NO ONE PERSON IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OTHER.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS THAT DISTINGUISH THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY

• APOSTLES• PROPHETS• TEACHERS• MIGHTY DEEDS• HEALING• ASSISSTANCE• ADMINISTRATION• VARIETIES OF TONGUES

GIFT OF TONGUES

• DURING THE EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATIONS OF THE EARLY CHURCH, SOME MEMBERS WOULD SPEAK IN “TONGUES,” MAKING SOUNDS THAT WERE ACTUALLY INSPIRED UTTERANCES BUT SOUNDED LIKE GIBBERISH AND DISTRACTED OTHERS.

• ST. PAUL COMPARES THE GIFTS OF TONGUES TO SPEAKING IN AN UNKNOWN, INARTICULATE LANGUAGE IN WHICH THE PERSON PRAYS, SINGS, AND GIVES THANKS TO GOD IN A KIND OF ECSTATIC EXPRESSION.

CHURCH

• THE CHURCH IS THE LIVING BODY OF CHRIST, THE PEOPLE OF GOD.

• THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC.

• THE WORD CHURCH MEANS “CONVOCATION” OR GATHERING TOGETHER.

ROMAN EMPEROR CONSTANTINE

• CONSTANTINE USED CHRISTIANITY TO UNITE THE ROMAN EMPIRE IN A.D.300

• BEFORE THEN CHRISTIANITY HAD BEEN OUTLAWED

• IN 313 CHRISTIANITY BECAME LEGAL• CHRISTIANS WERE ALLOWED TO WORSHIP IN

PUBLIC, HOLD OFFICE, AND BUILD CHURCHES.• WHEN THEODOSIUS BECAME EMPEROR-

CHRISTIANITY BECAME THE OFFICIAL RELIGION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, LEADING IT TO SPREAD AROUND THE WORLD

THE FIRST PENTECOST

• THE APOSTLES WONDERED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THEM NOW THAT CHRIST HAD ASCENDED TO HEAVEN

• HOW WOULD THEY SPREAD JESUS’ MESSAGE TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN DISTANT LANDS IF THEY COULD NOT COMMUNICATE TO THEM

THE FIRST PENTECOST

• THE BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH• TONGUES OF FIRE APPEARED AND FILLED

THE APOSTLES WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT• THEY BEGAN TO SPEAK IN LANGUAGES

THEY HAD NOT KNOWN BEFORE• THEY WERE ABLE TO GO OUT AND SPREAD

JESUS’ MESSAGE TO EVERYONE

WE BELIEVE

• GOD CALLS ALL CHRISTIANS TO LIVE IN UNION WITH ONE ANOTHER, TO PRAY FOR UNITY, AND TO FOLLOW JESUS

• A UNIFIED CHURCH PRAYS FOR SALVATION, WORKS TO BRING ABOUT PEACE, AND WORKS FOR THE COMMON GOOD

ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX

• SHE IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST BELOVED SAINTS OF ALL TIME.

• SHE DID ORDINARY THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE FOR JESUS. SHE DESIRED TO DO GOD’S WILL.

• TWO OF HER REASONS FOR ENTERING THE CONVENT WAS TO SAVE SOULS AND TO PRAY FOR PRIESTS. SHE WANTED TO DO MISSIONARY WORK BUT WAS TOO ILL. THE LAST 2 YEARS OF HER LIFE SHE WROTE LETTERS TO MISSIONARIES OFFERING HER ENCOURAGEMNET AND PRAYERS.

ST. THERESE

• SHE ENTERED THE CONVENT AT 15 YEARS OLD BY GETTING SPECIAL PERMISSION

• SHE TEACHES US THAT WHAT MATTERS IN LIFE IS “NOT GREAT DEEDS, BUT GREAT LOVE”

• SHE COPIED HER FAVORITE SCRIPTURE VERSES AND MEMORIZED THEM. HER PRAYERS GREW FROMHER INTENSE LOVE OF GOD

• IN 1997, POPE JOHN PAUL II NAMED HER A DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

THE LORD’S PRAYEROUR FATHER

• THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL PRAYERS

• IT CAN BE SAID BY ALL CHRISTIANS

• IT IS HOW JESUS TAUGHT US TO PRAY

• BASED ON LUKE 11, VERSUS 2 TO 4