Читать книгу Catholicism For Dummies - Rev. Kenneth Brighenti - Страница 99

The mission of the Church is the continuation of Christ’s mission: to proclaim the Gospel to the entire world for all generations. Christ gave the mission to His church when He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). Evangelization is the mission, and all baptized Christians are involved. So if you’re a member of the Church, your life’s work is intertwined with the salvific duty of the Savior: to reconcile fellow people with God.

Christ won salvation for humanity on the cross, on Good Friday, by shedding His precious blood. He is the great mediator between the Father and mankind. The Church, as the Bride of Christ, continues this work through proclaiming the Word of God, teaching revealed truths, dispensing grace through the sacraments, and gathering the multitude into unity.

As we explain in Chapter 19, all members of the Church are commissioned to perform the Corporal Works of Mercy, which are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, visit the sick, ransom the captive, and bury the dead. The baptized also continue the mission of Christ by exercising the Spiritual Works of Mercy, which are to instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish the sinner, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses willingly, comfort the afflicted, and pray for the living and the dead.

The mission of the Church is the mission of Christ. Christ Himself was a priest, a prophet, and a king. The priestly office of Christ’s mission was to sanctify the world. The prophetic office of His mission was to teach the truth to the world. His kingly office was to be the Good Shepherd and provide governance and leadership. He used all three aspects to achieve the one mission: proclaiming the Good News. The Church, which is an extension of Christ on earth, fulfills that same work via the same three aspects, which we detail next.

Jesus chose the Twelve Apostles and 70 disciples to help continue His mission after He died, rose, and ascended to heaven. Before being able to evangelize, His men needed to be taught the message, sanctified so they could receive the message worthily, and organized to effectively achieve success in the mission. Christ the priest, prophet, and king therefore sanctified, taught, and shepherded His disciples and Apostles. The Church continues that process today.