Day 110: The People of God (781-786)

• It’s Day 110!!

• We are in a new paragraph!

• PARAGRAPH 2 THE CHURCH-PEOPLE OF GOD, BODY OF CHRIST, TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

• Today we will talk about THE CHURCH-PEOPLE OF GOD

• OH MY GOODNESS!!

• Paragraph 781 is from Lumen Gentium of Vatican II

• Remember how we started the Catechism?

• God had a plan of sheer goodness etc etc etc

• God wants to have a relationship with us

• The role of the Church

• Paragraph 781 explains how God wants our hearts

• Individually given to Him IN COMMUNION with our brothers and sisters AS A PEOPLE

• The individual is massively important

• The PEOPLE OF GOD is also very important

• Paragraph 782 is kind of long with a bunch of bullet points

• Paragraph 782 says, “It is the People of God: God is not the property of any one people. But he acquired a people for himself from those who previously were not a people…”

• It’s not like God is OUR PROPERTY

• From every nation, ethnicity, from all over the world

• Paragraph 782 continues, “One becomes a member of this people not by a physical birth, but by being ‘born anew,’ a birth ‘of water and the spirit’...”

• Not only are we made sons and daughters of God when we are brought into the Church

• We are also ANOINTED

• We share in Christ’s anointing

• What was the anointing of Christ?

• He was anointed as Priest, Prophet, and King

• So this whole people is A PRIESTLY, PROPHETIC, AND ROYAL PEOPLE

• We will come back to that when we talk about the sacraments and the life of the Christian in the future

• So let’s say a prayer!!

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we give you praise and glory. Thank you so much. Thank you for bringing us to this day. Thank you for inviting us to share in your divine life. Thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit, that Spirit of anointing. That Spirit that anointed Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, the Priestly, Prophetic, and Kingly Spirit. We thank you so much. And we ask you please help us to live up to that. Help us to live up to this high call that you have extended to us this day, today, and every day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen”

• And there we have it!!

• Paragraph 781 says, “At all times and in every race, anyone who fears God and does what is right has been acceptable to him. He has, however, willed to make men holy and save them, not as individuals without any bond or link between them, but rather to make them into a people who might acknowledge him and serve him in holiness.”

• If we paid any attention to the Bible and Salvation History we realize this is how God words

• God called Abraham so that He could call Abraham’s family, tribe, people, nation, and now entire world

• God knows our hearts and knows us as individuals

• God calls us to Him as a community

• That’s why the images we use for the Church are the People of God, the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Holy Spirit

• It’s NOT the individual of God, the finger of Christ, or the brick of the Holy Spirit

• God loves us individually and brings us to Him personally but always as part of that BODY

• What are some of the characteristics of the People of God?

• These are worth praying about

• THE PEOPLE OF GOD

• God is not the property of any one people

• We can’t claim ownership of God 

• On the other hand God has acquired a people for himself that previously were not a people

• Rather than God becoming OUR possession we become HIS possession

• Paragraph 782 continues, “One becomes a member of this people and not by a physical birth, but by being ‘born anew,’ a birth ‘of water and the Spirit,’ that is, by faith in Christ, and Baptism.”

• We need to profess our faith in Jesus Christ

• We also need Baptism

• That’s what brings us into the Body of Christ

• Paragraph 782 continues, “This people has for its Head Jesus the Christ (the anointed, the Messiah). Because the same anointing, the Holy Spirit, flows from the head into the body, this is ‘the messianic people.’”

• This is why we are called CHRISTIANS

• If Christ is the ANOINTED ONE and we are CHRISTIANS then we are also among the ANOINTED ONES

• Paragraph 782 continues, “‘The status of this people is that of the dignity and freedom of the sons of God, in whose hearts the Holy Spirit dwells as in a temple.’”

• It is a new reality 

• There is something new that happens

• We will talk about this more when we talk about the Sacrament of Baptism

• Those who are Baptized become CHILDREN OF GOD

• They have a NEW DIGNITY and a NEW FREEDOM

• WHICH IS INCREDIBLE!!

• Paragraph 782 continues, “Its law is the new commandment to love as Christ loved us. This is the ‘new’ law of the Holy Spirit.”

• THIS IS REMARKABLE!!

• THIS IS SO IMPORTANT FOR US!!

• A PRIESTLY, PROPHETIC, AND ROYAL PEOPLE

• What does the ROYAL part mean?

• It does not mean that we lord it over other people

• Jesus made it very clear that the one who is going to REIGN over all is going to SERVE all

• Paragraph 786 says, “For the Christian, ‘to reign is to serve him,’ particularly when serving ‘the poor and the suffering, in whom the Church recognizes the image of her poor and suffering founder.’”

• We have this new law and commandment to love as Christ loved us

• What does that mean?

• Loving our neighbor

• Loving the people around us

• We also exercise the royal office of Jesus Christ when we serve the poor and suffering

• Paragraph 782 continues, “Its mission is to be the salt of the earth and light of the world.”

• Paragraph 783 says, “Jesus Christ is the one whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and established as priest, prophet, and king. The whole People of God participates in these three offices of Christ and bears the responsibilities for mission and service that flow from them.”

• THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!!

• IT IS REMARKABLE!!

• Paragraph 782 continues, “Its destiny, finally, ‘is the Kingdom of God which has been begun by God himself on earth and which must be further extended until it has been brought to perfection by him at the end of time.’”

• The mission is to bring unity, hope, and salvation to the whole human race

• We have to continue to do this as best as we possibly can

• We are completely equipped because we have been given the Holy Spirit

• We have been transformed into PRIESTLY, PROPHETIC, ROYAL persons

• Fr. Mike repeats Paragraph 783

• Paragraph 784 says, “‘Christ the Lord, high priest taken from among men, has made this new people ‘a kingdom of priests to God, his Father.’”

• We will talk more about this when we get to the Sacraments

• You have been anointed, consecrated, and share in Christ’s holy priesthood

• There is ONE GREAT HIGH PRIEST

• Jesus

• There are ministerial priests like Fr. Mike

• All the baptized faithful are KINGDOM PRIESTS

• We share in the royal priesthood of Jesus Christ Himself

• Paragraph 785 says, “The holy people of God shares also in Christ’s prophetic office…”

• Jesus has declared the GOOD NEWS

• Jesus has declared the TRUTH IN LOVE

• All those who share in the prophetic office of Jesus are called to profess the truth in love

• The baptized Christian not only share in Jesus’ priestly office

• We also need to speak the truth in love when the truth NEEDS TO BE SPOKEN

• That is our high call

• Paragraph 786 says, “Finally, the People of God shares in the royal office of Christ.”

• We reign when we serve

• We are all called to this mission

• We are called to serve

• No one is excluded from this

• Rather than looking around and wondering where to go in order to serve, the first place we are called to serve is IN OUR OWN BACK YARD

• Everyone has someone close to them

• They might not be the people we WANT to serve

• BUT…

• They might be the people we are CALLED to serve

• Maybe we won’t be literally washing their feet or feeding them

• It might mean we are the ones LISTENING to them because no one else will

• We might be the ones that are taking the time for them because no one else does

• We are the People of God and this is our high call

• This is our responsibility

• This is our mission

• This is our destiny

• We will keep unpacking this as we move forward

• God wants every human being on this planet to know His great love

• The truth is that they won’t unless you and I live this great commission we have been given

• Unless we live out these three anointings that have been bestowed upon us

• PRIESTLY

• PROPHETIC

• ROYAL 

• ANOINTING

• We are the People of God so we get to LIVE LIKE IT

• It is a high call so we need God’s Grace we just need to ask for it and be open to it

• Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!

• Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!

• I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!\