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PRELIM EXAM

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POSSIBLE – SEAN COVEY
 NATURE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH:
What is the Church?
 The Church is the assembly of those who
believe in Jesus Christ, who are baptized, and
who are in communion with the Pope.
 The term Church
comes from the
Greek word
ekklesia,
meaning
“assembly.” The
Church is not
simply a building
or an institution,
but a community
of believers.
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 NATURE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH:
What are the three requirements to belong to the Church?

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 NATURE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH:
The three requirements to belong to the Church
1. TO BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST: The first requirement
to join the Church is to believe that Jesus is the Christ,
as professed by St. Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son
of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Those who do not
believe that Jesus is God cannot be called Christians.
2. TO BE BAPTIZED: The second requirement to enter
the Church is to be baptized; as Jesus said: “Whoever
believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).
3. TO BE IN COMMUNION WITH THE POPE: The third
requirement to remain in the Church is to be united
with the Pope, because Jesus appointed Simon Peter
and his successors as the universal shepherds of his
Church, when he said: “You are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my Church” (Matthew 16:18).

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 NATURE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH:
What are the four symbols of the Church?
1) PEOPLE OF 2) BODY OF 3) BRIDE OF 4) FLOCK OF
GOD: because the CHRIST: CHRIST: because CHRIST: because
Church is because the the Kingdom of the Church is like
composed of Church is like a God is like a a community of
persons of different spiritual body, spiritual wedding, sheep, with Jesus
nationalities but with Christ as where Jesus is the Christ as her
united into one the head, and we groom and the good shepherd.
people. as the members. Church the bride.

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 THE FOUR
CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE CHURCH:
What are the four
symbols of the Church?

The true Church of

Christ is identified
by four
characteristics:

1. ONE,
2. HOLY,
3. CATHOLIC,
4. APOSTOLIC.

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 THE FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH:
Why is the Church ONE?
 The Church is one, as opposite to many, because Jesus
wants all his disciples to be united in one
community, under the guidance of the Pope. As he
said: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
Church” (Matthew 16:18).
 Ecumenism, a Greek word meaning “the common
house,” is the movement striving to unite all Christians
into the true Church. Jesus desires all his disciples to be
united as a family, as he said: “By this all men will know
that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John
13:35).

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 THE FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH:
Why is the Church HOLY?
 The Church is holy, as opposite to sinful, because it is
the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
initiated the Church on Pentecost day, enriches the
Church with countless charisms, and will guide the
Church to her final destiny in Paradise.

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 THE FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH:
Why is the Church CATHOLIC?
 The Church is Catholic, as
opposite to national,
because she is universal,
as Jesus said: “Therefore
go and make disciples of all
nations” (Matthew 28:19).
 The term Catholic comes
from the Greek word
katholikos, which literally
mean “all-embracing,”
hence “universal.” The
Church does not identify
herself with any nation,
although she is present in
every country.
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 THE FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH:
Why is the Church APOSTOLIC?
 The Church is apostolic, as opposite to self-made, because it is
founded on the Twelve Apostles, as Jesus declared: “You are
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church” (Mt. 16:18).
 The Apostolic Succession is the unbroken chain of ordinations
connecting all the bishops - and the deacons and priests ordained
by them - to one of the Apostles.

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 THE FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHURCH:
Why is the Church also called ROMAN?
 The Church is also called
Roman because the two
greatest Apostles, Sts.
Peter and Paul, died as
martyrs in Rome. For this
reason, Rome became the
center of the Church and the
Bishop of Rome is
acknowledged as the Pope.

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2 process of sharing
God’s word
evangelization and
sacramentalization
 THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS:
What are the three states of the Church?
1. PILGRIM CHURCH: The Church on earth is called pilgrim, because
we Christians are on a spiritual journey towards Paradise.
2. SUFFERING CHURCH: The Church in Purgatory is regarded as
suffering, because the souls of the departed are being purified of
their temporal punishment.
3. GLORIFIED CHURCH: The Church in Paradise is considered
glorified, because the saints in Heaven are constantly praising God.

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 THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS:
What is the difference between adoration and veneration?
ADORATION VENERATION
is the worship reserved is the devotion reserved for
for God alone, and consists in the saints, and consists in
worshipping him as praising their virtues and
the Creator and Provider. asking for their intercession.

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 St. Stephen
He died a martyr’s death.
He optimistically accepted his
death.
He prayed for his persecutors.
He was looking at heaven while
he was being stoned to death.
The story of Paul is a story of
redemption in Jesus Christ and
a testimony that no one is
beyond the saving grace of the
Lord.
 To gain the full measure of the man, we
must examine his dark side and what he
symbolized before becoming “the Apostle of
Grace.”
• An apostle is sent to deliver or spread those
teachings to others. The word "apostle" has
two meanings, the larger meaning of a
messenger and the narrow meaning to denote
the twelve people directly linked to Jesus
Christ.
 Andrew
Andrew was the brother of Peter and a son of Jonas. They
lived in Bethsaida and Capernaum and were fishermen
before he was called by Jesus to be one of the disciples.
Andrew was among the inner circle in the time of Jesus
and drew people to Christ and introduce other to the
master. Andrew died in Greece in a town of Patra, a
martyr as he was arrested and condemned by Governor
Aepeas to die on the cross.
 Bartholomew
He’s also known as Nathaniel and was the son of Talmai
who lived in Cana in Galilee. He was a great searcher of
the scripture and died a martyr after being flayed alive
with knives.
 James, Son of Zebedee
James was the son of Zebedee and Salome and a brother
of John the Apostle. He preached in Jerusalem and Judea
and was beheaded by Herod and became the first martyr
among the twelve.
 James, Son of Alpheus
James was the son of Alpheus and Mary and a brother to
Jude, another apostle. He lived in Galilee and was one of
the less known disciples but was a man of a strong
character and was an exemplary and fiery man. He also
died a martyr as his body was sawed into pieces and the
saw became his apostolic symbol.
 John
John was the son of Zebedee and Salome and a brother of the
apostle James. He was a fisherman who lived in Bethsaida,
Capernaum, and Jerusalem. He is known as the beloved disciple was
a member of the inner circle and close to Peter. There was an
attempt on his life, but God spared him and died a natural death.
 Judas Iscariot
He is known as the traitor because he betrayed Jesus with
a kiss to the hands of the enemy for thirty pieces of silver
and hanged himself afterward. Jesus knew Judas was
going to betray
 Jude
Jude was also known as Thaddeus or lebbeus, and was a
brother of James the son of Alpheus. He went on to
preach the gospel and was killed with arrows at Ararat.
 Matthew
Matthew was also known as Levi and was the son of
Alpheus who lived in Capernaum. He was a tax collector,
in the Jewish culture they were hated for being very
unjust but still Jesus saw the potential in him and chose
him.
 Matthias
After Judas Iscariot had committed suicide, Matthias was
selected to replace him.
 Simon Peter
Simon Peter was the son of Jonas who was a fisherman
and lived in Bethsaida and Capernaum. He was a member
of the inner circle of Jesus, and he did his missionary and
evangelistic work as far as Babylon.
 Philip
Philip was from Bethesda, just as Peter and Andrew were. He
becomes a living personality in the Gospel of John. He was the first
man that Jesus told to follow him, and he believed that He was the
one prophets described by Moses. He was hanged, and when he
was dying, he requested his body be wrapped in papyrus, not in
linen as Jesus was.
 Simon the Zealot
Little regarding the life of of Simon the Zealot is known outside of
what is recorded in the Bible. He was a Canaanite who lived in
Galilee.
 Thomas
Thomas Didymus lived in Galilee and was a pessimistic
and bewildered man, yet one known for his courage. He
could not believe until he had seen, but during the
resurrection of Jesus, his doubts turned to faith after
seeing the risen Christ. After all these, he was
commissioned to build a palace for the king of India and
was killed with a spear as a martyr for his Lord.
 Why does the Creed end with Amen?
 The Creed ends with Amen, which means: “Yes, I believe.” Thus, the
Amen confirms its first words of the Creed: “I believe.”
 By proclaiming the Amen we profess our personal commitment to
announce the teaching of Christ till the end of times.

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 The Incarnation of Jesus
The Incarnation
is the essential
Christian belief
that the Son of
God became
human in the
person of
Jesus Christ.
We celebrate the conception
of the Son of God at the
Annunciation.
With Mary’s “yes,” the Son
of God became human.

The Gospels of Matthew and

Luke tell how the angel Gabriel
brought Mary the news of God’s
plan for the salvation of the
world, and how she named her
baby Jesus, which means “YHWH
is salvation,” or “savior.”
The presence of Joseph is
strongly felt in the
Gospels.

We know Joseph was

a man of tremendous
faith and great courage.
He raised Jesus to
become a man of love,
gentleness, and hard
work.
 The Purpose of the Incarnation
Why did God
become
human?
► To reconcile us with God.
► To show us God’s love.

► To be our model for

holiness.
► To enable us to share
in God’s nature.
 Our belief in the .
Resurrection tells
us that after
Jesus suffered a
painful death on
the cross …
We can read about Jesus in the New
Testament – especially the Gospels.
Christ also makes it possible for us
to know him and have a relationship
with him in several ways:

 Inthe Sacraments
 In Prayer
 In his body, the Church
 The Mysteries
of Christ’s Life
A mystery is a truth
about God that will
always be beyond
human understanding.

Mystery also refers to

God’s saving plan that
was gradually revealed
in human history.
 The Birth and Infancy of Jesus

In the Nativity, God humbled himself and came

into the world as a vulnerable infant. The first
to witness his arrival were poor shepherds.
 The Birth and Infancy of Jesus

At Jesus’ Presentation in the Temple, Simeon predicts

the suffering and death of Jesus, as well as the
sorrows Mary will experience. Mary and Joseph
presented Jesus as a firstborn son in the Temple forty
days after his birth to fulfill the Law of Moses.
 The Baptism of Jesus

Even though he was without sin, Jesus submitted to

baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. At this
beginning of his public ministry, God the Father
revealed that Jesus is his beloved Son, and the Holy
Spirit descended upon him like a dove.
 Jesus proclaims
God’s Kingdom
The message
of Jesus’
words and
actions was to
consistently
proclaim the
Kingdom of
God, or
Kingdom of
Heaven.
 The Miracles of Jesus
Jesus performed many miracles
that confirmed the truth of his
When Jesus
words and hissaid that he
authority to
could forgive
proclaim hissins, some of
message.
the scribes accused Jesus of
blasphemy, which is a sin
against the dignity of God,
since only God can forgive
sins.
By healing the sick, Jesus
proved that he did, indeed,
have the power to forgive.
The Transfiguration of Jesus

The Transfiguration
confirmed Jesus’ divinity
as he appeared gloriously
transformed alongside
the prophets Moses and
Elijah. The presence of
the Old Testament
prophets confirmed that
it was Jesus whom they
had foretold as the savior.
This event inspired
Peter’s confession that
Jesus is the Messiah, the
Son of the living God.
 The Passion, Death, and
Resurrection of Jesus

But Jesus’ story did not end in death. On the third

day after his crucifixion, Jesus rose to eternal life.
The Meaning of the Paschal Mystery

The sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf repaired the

broken relationship between God and humanity.
 Upon seeing the crosses,
Helena was immediately
convinced that one of them
was the cross that bore
Christ. To prove her case
she performed a test on a
woman near death. When
the dying women touched
the first two crosses her
condition did not improve,
but on touching the third,
she miraculously recovered.
Helena, then, declared this
to be the True Cross.
Why were the early Christians
persecuted severely?
 The Roman authorities grew
hostile to the new religion because
it attracted the masses.
For them Christians were
strange people who did not
exercise Roman practices like
worshipping gods, paying taxes,
joining gladiatorial contests and
serving in the army.
 So to keep Christianity from
spreading, some emperors launched
cruel persecutions.
 What is the effect of the persecution
on the early Christians & on the whole
church?
 The persecution failed to
discourage the Christians. They
stood up in defense of their
FAITH.
• A dissension is a disagreement, or
difference of opinion, and the
meaning hasn't changed since the
word first came into use in French in
about the 12th century.
 A papal bull is a particular type of letters
patent or charter issued by a Pope of the
Roman Catholic Church. It is named after the
lead seal (bulla) that was appended to the
end in order to authenticate it.
 Excommunication - Excommunication is an
institutional act of religious censure used to end or
at least regulate the communion of a member of a
congregation with other members of the religious
institution who are in normal communion with
each other.