Church and the Kingdom of God

• ‘Christians, on pilgrimage toward the heavenly city, should seek and think of these things which are above’


  Gaudium et Spes 57
• pilgrimage

  • catholics see the church as a pilgrimage
  • life is seen as a pilgrimage
• stations of the cross

  • in all churches, all 14 pictures of the stations of the cross
  • during lent, Christians can make the stations of the cross (walk between the stations and say a prayer)
  • dramatised prayer
  • starts at the house of pilot and ends with Jesus’ burial
• pilgrimage to Jerusalem 


  stations of the cross can be physically done including the tomb
• why do people go on pilgrimage to jerusalem?

  • the holy sites enable pilgrims to make direct contact with the founding events of their religion
  • -> this allows them to renew their faith and commitment to Jesus
  • -> most pilgrims return home with a new determination to live out their faith, both in prayer and in action, in a more committed way
• pilgrimage


  a journey by a believer to a holy site for religious reasons; an act of worship and devotion
• reasons to go for pilgrimage

  • to thank God
  • ask for forgiveness
  • seek healing
  • renew commitment to their faith
  • physically express inner journey of faith
• Rome

  Centre of the Catholic faith

  • Peter went to Rome and was crucified there
  • All popes set back to Peter in a line of succession
  • Can visit many churches and Basilica’s
• Lourdes


  A popular pilgrimage site in France

  St Bernadette saw visions of Mary / the immaculate conception

  • St Bernadette dug a spring
  • Many people go for healing from the spring
• Walsingham


  a pilgrimage site in Norfolk, England

  • Saxon noble woman had a vision of the house of Mary
  • sometimes process through streets, starting at Slipper Chapel
  • pilgrims walk barefoot to the chapel
• Mission and evangelism in drama 


  It’s important to spread the good news about Jesus (mission)

  • the action in a dramatic work can help people to relate to how the message of Christianity is both received and ignored
  • the Christian message is often presented subtly
• Les Miserables


  A french novel written by Victor Hugo

  • all about the power of love and forgiveness
  • shows the Golden rule (love everyone)
  • Javert shows how easy it is to let hardheartedness destroy a life
  • Valjean shows how difficult yet rewarding it is to try to live by the Christian principle of showing love, even to your enemies
• the mission 


  a film from 1986

  • all about the power of faith and forgiveness
  • based on the situation in south America in the 18th century
  • Christian missionaries were trying to convert people to christianity
  • when the native people are attacked by the slave traders, some of the priests fight to defend them
  • -> this is an example of Jesus’ teaching - ‘no one has greater love than this, to lay down one‘s life for one’s friends‘ (John 15:13)
• Kingdom of God 


  God’s reign where all people live as God intends

  • KOG is among you at Pentecost
  • Established through the resurrection of Jesus
• the Lord’s Prayer 


  the prayer Jesus taught his disciples

  AKA the ‘our father’

  usual version of the prayer used by catholics is the translation of a passage from Matthew 6: 9-13
• ‘our father in heaven‘


  shows the closeness between Jesus and God and what Jesus wants to have with God
• ‘hallowed be thy name’


  emphasising the holiness of God
• ‘kingdom come’


  not just heaven but also a hope that everyone accepts God in their hearts
• ‘thy will be done’


  what God wants of us will be done
• ‘daily bread’


  asking for wants to be removed from their lives
• ‘forgive us our trespasses’


  asking for forgiveness of sins
• Signs of the kingdom


  Aim of christians is to grow the Kingdom on earth

  things that negatively effect others hinder the kingdom’s growth
• Justice


  bringing about what is right and fair, according to the law or making up for a wrong that has been committed

  • all people have what they are entitled to as human beings
  • all people are created equal (genesis 1)
  • catholics should aim to support systems to allow for more fairness
  • justice comes from God
• Peace


  Hebrew - shalom

  • peace flows from justice
  • comes from the heart
  • catholics should support peace movements
• reconciliation


  fixing a broken relationship

  • accepting the past and moving forward
  • reconciliation allows for peace and justice to flow
• ‘Deliver us from evil’


  protect us from evil and temptation
• hierarchy of the Catholic Church


  recognition of authority - in order of top to bottom:

  1. pope is at the top
  2. cardinals - appointed by the pope; elect the new pope when the previous one dies/ retires
  3. arch bishops
  4. bishops - oversee diocese
  5. priests - ordained to administer the sacraments and preach the word
  6. deacons - ordained to preach the word of God and assist the preach
  7. lay people - non ordained members of the church; share in the priestly office of Christ through their baptism
• second Vatican council


  formal consultation from the pope John XXIII

  bring about change within the church and open it up to everyone

  changed the main language of prayer and scripture

  new documents to reflect a more modern approach
• Dei Verbum


  ’the word of God‘

  all about the interpretation of scripture

  it is people’s duty to take the messages from scripture seriously as they come from God but catholics shouldn’t read the bible in a literal way
• Lumen Gentium


  ‘on the church’

  focused on the church running and the impact of the lay people

  emphasised the idea of the pilgrim church moving forward
• Sacrosanctum Concilium


  ‘on the sacred liturgy’

  focused on the change for worship within the church
• Gaudium et spes 


  ‘the church in the modern world’

  Dealt with issues relating to family life, the development of culture, political and economic life, peace and harmony between nations

  ’gaudium et spes’ literally means ‘joy and hope’
• mother Mary 


  accepts the will of God (allowing the incarnation)

  • symbol of all disciples
  • great role model
  • was the perfect disciple
  • a woman of prayer
• magnificat 


  the prayer that Mary said when Elizabeth greeted her during her visit
• Parts of the Magnificat 


  Mary praises God for his forgiveness

  • God fulfils his promise
  • trust in the power of God
  • Great sense for revolution
• Four marks of the church 


  the church is the body of Christ

  at baptism , we become parts of the church

  in the Eucharist, Catholics receive the body and blood
• One (marks of the church)


  the church is one body (believers of Christ)

  all believers unite together (1 Corinthians 12:12-30)

  at the last supper, jesus prayed to God about his followers that ‘they may all be one’ (John 17:21)
• Holy (marks of the church)


  the church is a community of sinners

  • Jesus said ‘I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance’ - Luke 5:32
  • every sinnner is made holy in the waters of baptism
  • the presence of God makes the church holy
• Catholic (marks of the church)


  literally means ‘related to the whole’ or ‘worldwide’

  beliefs of the church are held by catholics everywhere
• apostolic (marks of the church)


  12 apostles spread the word which is now the mission of all believers

  • after the resurrection, Jesus told his apostles to go and preach his message to all people