KINGDOM OF GOD

• mission: sending out people with a job to perform
• evangelism: preaching the good news about Jesus to others
• les miserables

  • reflects Christian duty to love all (e.g. it's all about outcasts, reflecting Jesus' love for outcasts and how those with difficult earthly lives will be loved by god)

  • love is best shown through actions

  • shows power of love and forgiveness

  • shows how kind act of one has effect on others
• Jean Valjean, les miserables

  from criminal to loving others through faith

  • his god is centered around forgiveness

  • has good conscience

  • always connected to church (reminder that church should be like Valjean- forgiving, helping others)
• in favour of drama for mission and evangelism

  • aligns with church's message of promoting good

  • helps church fulfil mission to proclaim gospel

  • inspires others to reflect on lives and seek transformation, leading them closer to the gospel (fulfils evangelism)

  • brings Christian message to life in an accessible way (e.g. relatable to contemporary audiences, dubbed in many languages).
• not in favour of drama for mission and evangelism

  • driven for commercial goals, so it compromises on money, not spiritual enrichment.

  • oversimplification of Christian truths to fit the narrative (viewers could misunderstand the message)

  • produced in the Western world (it doesn't resonate with all parts of the world)

  • doesn't lead to spiritual growth (discipleship requires ongoing teaching and participation, while film is more of an individual experience)
• magisterium: teaching authority of the church. it is made of the pope and bishops. they have authority because the holy Spirit guides them. they interpret the bible and set teachings for Christians.
• pope: head of the church and the magisterium. they are the successor of st. peter and a spiritual leader (advisor). they also decide on the church's teachings (e.g. encyclicals)
• cardinal: they help the pope run the church. the pope appoints the cardinals
• bishops: they are successors to apostles. they are responsible for dioceses (church is split into dioceses around the world, around 3000 of these exist). they can ordain and discipline priests. they also oversee catholic schools and charities.
• priests: they administer sacraments (e.g. they have the authority to consecrate the eucharist) preach the word of god and look after parishes
• deacon: they can preach the word of god. they assist the priest. they can administer baptism, marriage or funerals
• Laity: These are the non-ordained members of the churches. They share in the priestly office of the church, spread the gospel in their own lives (especially by raising children), and volunteer in parishes (e.g. as eucharistic ministers).
• peter's declaration about jesus

  • "you are the messiah"- peter knows and recognises jesus

  • "you are peter and on this rock, I will build my church".- peter means petros which means rock. this means that he is the foundation and guide to the church.

  • "whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven."- he has authority to make decisions
• the importance of the hierarchy of the church

  • ensures the church is one, they speak with one voice on matters regarding faith

  • ensures bishops and priests are consistent with their teachings so that believers get the correct interpretation

  • the hierarchy dictates a clear chain of command so that they are well-educated and prepared to guide others in their faith journey.
• one, 4 marks of the catholic church

  this deems that the church is one- as the church is the body of christ and god and christ are one, the christ is also one body

  (e.g. many dioceses are part of the one church)

  (they all share the same belief)

  "they may all be one." here, Jesus even prays about his followers at the last supper.
• holy, 4 marks of the catholic church

  this talks about how Christians are sanctified (made holy) in the waters of baptism. this is because the church is already a community of sinners. the community is guided by the power of the holy spirit. plus, as god is at work within the body of Christ (the church's community), he makes the church holy with his presence.
• catholic, 4 marks of the catholic church

  catholic = 'related to the whole'

  • means that teachings of the church are held everywhere

  • means that believers have to spread the word of god worldwide
• apostolic, 4 marks of the catholic church

   this relates to the 12 apostles of apostles, who were told to be witnesses and the foundation or the people of god. therefore, they build the foundation of the church (e.g. jesus tells apostles to preach his message after his resurrection).
• apostolic succession: refers to how the authority of the church leaders has been passed down in an unbroken line from the original apostles of jesus.
• how is the apostolic succession and the magisterium connected?

  • it gives them authority to teach and interpret Christian beliefs

  • it ensures the teachings are consistent with what the apostles taught, so that they are true to what Jesus originally taught

  • it maintains unity (e.g. share the same morals) because all bishops are connected to the same line of succession from apostles.
• love our neighbour, locally

  St. Vincent de Paul:

  • provide help in small groups to individuals in local area

  • offers friendship and practical help

  • visit vulnerable people in care homes, offering friendship

  • help individuals with household chores

  • run summer camps for children, helping the whole community
• love our neighbour, (inter)nationally

  CAFOD: catholic agency for overseas development

  • aim to help poor become self-reliant

  • challenges (inter)national policies

  • provides emergency aid overseas for lives ruined by natural disasters (e.g. provide food)

  • campaign against policies contributing to inequality

  • provides legal action for those threatened by large companies' actions (help farmers in danger of losing land to bigger companies)
• kingdom values: values wanted by god for people in the kingdom to show in their lives

  • Jesus gives examples on how to live by these
• vocation: calling from god to use their talents for a particular purpose
• priesthood, vocation

  • priests take promise of celibacy, to commit their body and soul to God

  • priests are free to serve others (especially as there's no family to distract them)

  • priests take a promise of obedience to bishop (and an obedience to the voice of god)
• family life, vocation

  • love unites families together

  • catholic parents show kingdom values in their relationship

  • parents teach children their kingdom values, therefore spreading the kingdom of god on Earth
• religious life, vocation

  • those committed to religious life take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, showing commitment to God's values

  •  they live simple lives to dedicate to prayer and serve others

  • they take on teaching or service roles (e.g. nurse) to show love through helping others

  • with care and commitment, they show people the love of god to express kingdom values
• priests: ordained ministers of the church; celebrates mass, preaches and forgives sins
• vatican II:

  • aimed to make the church open and relevant to the modern world

  • was from 1962-1965

  • Pope John XXII started it, then it was continued by Pope Paul VI
• dei verbum

  • deals with the importance and interpretation of the bible

  • stresses the Bible to be taken seriously due to the Word of God, but not literally

  • encouraged lay people to read the Bible for themselves
• lumen gentium

  • deals with the nature and structure of the Church

  • stresses that all Church members have roles to play (e.g. women)

  • helped start up things in the Church for lay people such as liturgy committees
• sacrosanctum concilium

  • deals with the church and liturgical services

  • emphasises the congregation takes full part in worship to God in mass

  • allowed masses to be in the local language
• gaudium et spes

  • deals with modern issues

  • stresses that the Church shouldn't be separated from the modern world, but it should guide people on how to live in it

  • allowed interfaith dialogue; expresses that other religions aren't false, they have some truth in them
• justice, sign of KoG

  • helps KoG spread on Earth

  • respect the rights of others

  • take action to change injust systems in the world

  • recognise that all people are created and loved equally by God, so the dignity of each person should be respected too.

  • CAFOD campaigns for trade justice and promoting catholic social teaching for an equal society
• peace, sign of KoG

  • support organisations that work for justice and unity (e.g. Pax Christi)

  • helps peace of KoG to be experienced on Earth

  • spread peace by being non-violent

  • peace is believed by Catholics to come from a person's heart

  • peace flows from justice

  • it is a state of total trust and unity between people

  • christians should support all efforts to establish harmony

  • a real-world example is Bruce Kent- RC pacifist
• reconciliation

  • breaks down barriers that exist between people

  • helps peace and justice spread to help the KoG grow

  • relies on acceptance and empathy (by learning from the past and working together)

  • restoring damaged relationships

  • a real-world example is Desmond Tutu, an anglican archbishop who opened the truth and reconciliation committee after the South African apartheid
• ecumenical councils

  gathering of Bishops and lay people to make decisions about important issues for the Church, called by the Pope.

  • it expresses the voice for the whole Church, therefore the council is the highest authority of the Church
• conciliar

  • authority of the Magisterium is expressed through the pope in a council

  • they make important decisions and update church teachings, influencing the teaching and direction of the church

  • helps the pope discuss difficult issues with other church members, putting less pressure on him as the pope could make human errors

  • helps understand feelings of the whole catholic community, getting better advice from more experience and expressing the voice of the whole church

  • bishops get authority from apostolic succession
• pontifical

  • teachings of the church are presented by the pope

  • the pope has the highest authority as the head of the church (passed down by apostolic succession from Peter- the chosen leader of the apostles by Jesus)

  • the pope is representative of christ on Earth

  • he is infallible (especially when speaking ex cathedra)

  • decisions of a council have no authority unless approved by the pope

  • the pope was specially appointed and is guided by the holy spirit