The Nature and Origin of The Church As Mystery CLF 9

CHRISITIAN LIFE FORMATION 9

The Nature and Origin of the

Church: As Mystery
Let us read the Message of God’s Love:
• God commissioned me to preach among you His Word
in its fullness, that mystery hidden from ages and
generations past but now revealed to his holy ones. God
has willed to make known to them the glory beyond
price which this mystery brings to the Gentiles– the
Mystery of Christ in you, your hope of glory. (Col 1: 25-
26)
The Nature of Church as Mystery
• Church’s nature and essence is a mystery.
• It derives its mystery from the Trinitarian origin.
• She manifests the Blessed Trinity through both her nature
and mission.
Why the Church is a Mystery?
To say that the Church is a mystery is to say that
its nature can never be grasped by
the power of reason alone.
MYSTERY
• In Christian faith, it is something so full of reality that there is
always more to know and understand.
• “The Church is a mystery, a mystic reality, steeped in the

presence of God…” (Pope Paul VI, Second Vatican Council on
Sept.29,1963)
• A reality we can never fully grasp and never
able to fully understand due to the limitation of our
human intelligence.
• Nature of the Church: to be always open to new and

greater exploration.
• In Greek, mysterion; in Latin, mysterium; and in Pilipino,
hiwaga.
• Mystery is to see beyond the physical.
-A reality in which “we live and move and have our
being.”
• Paul wished his community: “May He enlighten the eyes
of your heart so that you can see…”(Eph 1:18)
The Church as Mystery
First: Father’s plan of salvation as it comes to concrete
realization in the person of Christ.
o “The Son of God became human like us, in him dwells the
fullness of God”
Second: Ongoing life of the Church in the Spirit of the
Risen Christ
o Mystery refers to the divine/spiritual aspects of
the Church.
• Mystery also refers to the union of God with
man, which began in Christ, now
continues through the Church.
• The Church is rightly considered as the
continuation of the Incarnation of Christ.
• It is basically a “mystery of communion”.
• The Church is a mystery because it holds apparent
‘opposites’ together.
• She is one but comprises of both human and divine, both divine
and holy, both visible and changeable, both invisible and
permanent, both earthly and heavenly.
• The nature of the Church is an expression of Christ.

• The Church is both part of the world and tempted by
sin, and apart from the world
and shaped by grace.
• This tension is created as the Church tries to make god

visible and relevant to the secular world.
• The Church as a mystery balances the human and the
spiritual aspects of the Church. Since part of the nature of
the Church is spiritual, it is through the eyes of faith that we
can see the hand of God accomplishing things in the
Church, that which could not be done by humans alone.
The Mystery of the Church as
Witnessed in History
• We can see the hand of God in the history of the Church
itself.
• The hidden presence of God in the Church, her having both

human and divine elements, her being sinful and holy, her
changeable and permanent aspects – all these are seen and
very in history.
• History can attest about the steadfast presence of the
Spirit of Christ in the Church especially in time of
difficulties.
• The history of the Church show how the Church has
survived different forms of sufferings and
persecutions; how she stood the test of time in spite of
her limitations and weaknesses; and how she sustained
and empowered the people to remain steadfast to their
faith.
Many Christians were being persecuted because:
• They refused to worship Roman Gods
• They didn’t obey Roman laws because it is in conflict
with their religion teachings
• Christians rejected the Divine status and worshipped
the Trinity
• More Roman citizens abandoned their old faith and
became Christians
Christians
• They were blamed for all the misfortunes of Rome
specifically; the flood, epidemics, etc.
• Christians who refused to abandon their faith were
killed and tortured. They served as an entertainment
for the Roman soldiers.
• First apostle to be martyred: JAMES (the brother of
John)
First Christian Persecution:
under Emperor Nero, “The Great Fire of Rome”
• The Christians were blamed for the fire that destroyed

a part of Rome
• In spite of the many persecutions, Christianity spread

throughout the world which developed into the “
Christian Church”
Church’s nature both human and divine
• Her humanness is subject in imperfection.
• Human frailty: Sin, suffering, illness and death.
The Church is subject to the condition laws on human
life on Earth:
• Knowing the nature of the church leads to understanding
her limitation.
• Through the Church we learn the most about Jesus.
• The Church is the connection with the Christ- event.
• Church is the link on our experience of the event to those
who will come after us.
• The Church is the Bride of Christ, but while on Earth is not
and will never be Christ’s perfect Bride.
• “Repent!”
• Interior repentance is a radical of reorientation of our whole
life
• A return to God, a turning away from evil
REALITY OF H U MA N FRAILTY MAKES US REALIZE

A N D RECOGNIZE THE NEED FOR HEALING A N D
ONGOING CONVERSION .
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
1. How can you explain the Holy Trinity?
2. What is the main point of having a Holy
Trinity?
3. Explain “The reason God is trinity is because
God is love, the beloved, and the act or
relationship of love between them. God is
Trinity because God is love itself in its
completeness”?
Group Activity
Group Activity: The teacher will group you
into seven and each group will have a
specific topic to analyze. After analyzing
the topic each group will make a short
explanation about it and will share it to the
class.
Materials Needed:
• Christian Life Formation Textbook
(page 08-15)
• Ball pen and paper
Group 1: The Fathers Role In Planning The Church
Group 2: The Promise of God In the Old Testament
Group 3: The Assembly of the Lord
Group 4: The Son’s Role: Founding The Church
Group 5: The Kingdom of Heaven
Group 6: The Role of the Holy Spirit: Sanctifying the
Church
Group 7: Sanctification Through The Sacrament
Performance Task:
Audio Visual Presentation

Instruction: Make a five- minute Audio-Visual
Presentation about the Nature and Origin of the
Church that can identify the works of the Holy
Spirit in the Church.

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CHRISITIAN LIFE FORMATION 9

The Nature and Origin of the

• “The Church is a mystery, a mystic reality, steeped in the

• Nature of the Church: to be always open to new and

• The nature of the Church is an expression of Christ.

• This tension is created as the Church tries to make god

• The hidden presence of God in the Church, her having both

• The Christians were blamed for the fire that destroyed

• In spite of the many persecutions, Christianity spread

REALITY OF H U MA N FRAILTY MAKES US REALIZE

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