Reflections on the Church - Michael Njenga Kimani - 11106

Michael Njenga Kimani   11106T

The Church is One and Apostlic

Christ did not intend to found the church but from his ministry on earth the end result was what we call the church. After the resurrection of Jesus he was in fellowship with his disciple whom he sent out on mission. As we believe on the unity of Jesus with his apostles as the unity that binds us as a church we appreciate that the church is one. The church is one as it is the flock fed by the apostles. This also brings in the aspect of the apostolicity of the church.

The church is made up of various particular churches just as Paul had many communities. These communities were bound together by what they did in common, mostly the sharing of the same faith and gospel scripture as well as bond of love that showed concretely the care of one another. The unity of the church can be connected to the mission of the church “our mission is Gods kingdom and that has boundaries” for me what we are called to target bring all the diversity in the church to one as it is the goal of all. It also brings the believers to the communion that forms the basis of the church. From Christ came the church and through him salvation is to be through the church.

Christ and the church are inseparable; the temple of the living God is the whole Christian church. (2 cor 6:16) Christ who is the head of the church through the help of the Holy Spirit makes the divinity of God present in the church. All Christian churches believe to be in unity with Christ though the faith professed may differ. Christ governs her church through peter and other apostles, who are present in their successor, pope and the college of bishops. It is a service of unity in the one faith and charity.

Church is apostolic in as far as there is an interrupted succession of the apostles together with same faith profession. The bishops lead the laity as they take the place of the apostles. The church we believe in should and I hope it does profess the faith/ truth which are from the teaching of the apostles. The oneness of the church is more on the fellowship of a particular church with her bishop who in return is in harmony with the bishop of Rome who is the representative of Peter whom Christ gave the key and on whom the church was to be built.

ECCLESSIOLOGY OF VATICAN II

The church of Christ is really and truly present in all legitimate organized local groups of the faithful (LG). The church is a sacrament or a sign of communion with God and of unity among people. According to Bosch “Transforming Mission”, the Vatican II vision of the church is both missionary and ecumenical. It is a pilgrim church not a perfect society. The church sees itself no longer or beyond the evil world but in solidarity with the world. “the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time especially those who are poor or afflicted in any way are the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well” (GS1) .

The mystery of the church is the invisible dimension of the church (koinonia); this covers the Trinitarian foundation of the church plus the aspect of the union of people of God, Body of Christ and temple of the spirit. God is the author of all that is, was and will be. It is through His son that the church developed with the help of the Holy spirit. The church as a mystery is to be revealed to those who are in it and thus bound to adhere to its mission which is to reach out to all people and embrace every dimension of life hence transforming human relationships through healing power of the Gospel Jesus Christ. 

The invisible is to be seen from the visible dimension of koinonia. This is the people of God who are organically structured- the hierarchy. In this we are all one but classified for the good administration thus the laity and the religious all with various ways and means of serving the community. The church is bond in one faith, one sacrament and unity with the bishop who is united to the bishop of Rome (Vicar of Christ as he is a successor of peter).

The unity of the church is for a goal which is a call to holiness as we are in a pilgrim church with a sacrament of unity. The church is human and in a world fully of crisis but its origin and destiny is God not human. The goal of communion for all in the church is the mission which is the kingdom of God and that has no boundaries, thus where we do go or live Christ is the lord. The Marian synthesis is of value because of the humble obedience that made it possible for Jesus to be in this world. The place of Mary is of honour as she is the mother of church for her vital response to the salvation of all mankind. Christ who is the head of the church is the light that enlightens us all through our life.

                                                                                                                              

Small Christian Communities the Root of the Church

Small Christian Communities(SCCs) can be defined as groups of Christian Catholics especially from the family set up who come together at least once in a week with common objectives especially to share the word of God as a community of believers. The name SCC draws its foundation from the nature of these groups of Christians in a sense that these Christian communities are made up of small groups of people or families and officially the maximum number should be between 15 and 20. There are different kinds of SCCs in Africa and specifically East Africa. There are those which are made up of different families (including Children), some are composed of individual Christians and some are made up only by the Youths. All these groups of people represent the universal Catholic Church at the grass root. This comes as a fulfillment of Vatican II goals where by the church is no longer to be viewed as just a structure or the Clergy but as the entire people of God especially those who profess the Catholic faith (active participation). According to the Bishops in their preliminary Assembly of 1976, it is stated that “the SCCs which we are trying to build are simply the most local incarnations of the one, holy Catholic and Apostolic Church”. This comes out clearly in the gospel of John 17:21 (that all may be one). Therefore, all people are equal before God regardless of their status in society.

Biblically especially in the New Testament, SCCs can be traced from the beginning of the early Church by the Apostles after Jesus had ascended into Heaven. This comes out clearly in book of Acts of the Apostle after receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For instance, Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-37, 11: 19-20, Eph 4:1-16 among others. These texts point out how the early Christians were organized in small communities especially in the breaking of bread. It was through these small communities that the Church grew bigger and bigger up today.

Meeting together acted as a unifying agent for the Christians to strengthen each other in faith because this was the time when most of them were being persecuted by the high priests. Also in the Gospels, the importance of SCCs is stressed. For example, Mt 22:39, 18:20, Lk 8:21 and Jn 8:31 contain indications of SCCs. In here, through active participation of Christians in the breaking of the word, there is a personal experience of Christ who is our focal point.

Like in the early Church, SCCs strengthen each other in faith by sharing the word of God and breaking the bread together in their respective families. They also help each other in their daily lives. They bring Christ to others through their way of life as communities of believers. When they meet, they also participate in praising and giving thanks to God for all that he has done for them. As if this is not enough, the risen Lord is also experienced in the SCC. It is noted that “SCCS show the world that it is possible to live together in peace, although people differ from each other”. The life of the parish is rooted in the local people and that is why they have to be fully involved in the activities of the Parish.

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The Family as a Church: Role of the Family in evangelization

 The Family is the domestic church. Thus, like the universal Church, Family has also duties of preaching, proclaiming, and spreading the Kingdom of God; First, in its own territory; within the homestead. They must take serious consideration to become good witnesses among themselves in order to influence others. Secondly, in their local area where they are living, they should also become witnesses of the word of God for people who are living around them. Studying the evangelizing - mission of the family, the Synod recalled the teaching of the Apostolic Exhortation, according to which the family, like the Church, ought to be a place where the gospel is transmitted and from which it radiates. The Parents not only communicate the gospel to their children but from their children they can themselves receive the gospel as deeply lived by them. And as a family becomes the evangeliser of many other families, and of the neighbourhood of which if forms part,

When talking about the Christian family in the modern world, Pope John Paul II, wrote an encyclical ‘Familiaris consortio’ about the Christian family as the first community called to announce the Gospel to human person during growth and to bring him or her, through a progressive education and catechesis, to full human and Christian maturity. And as an educating community, the family must help man to discern his own vocation and to accept responsibility in the search for greater justice, educating him from the beginning in interpersonal relationships, rich in justice and in love.

The role of family represents the dynamic and existential development of what it is. Each family finds within itself summons that cannot be ignored, and that specifies both dignity and its responsibility: family, become what you are. The family has the mission to become more and more what it is, that is to say, the community of life and love, in an effort that wills fulfillment, as wills everything created and redeemed, in the kingdom of God. Hence the family has the mission to guard, reveal and communicate love, and this is living reflection of and a real sharing in God’s love for humanity and the love of Christ the Lord for the Church. The family must be a school of formatting a community of persons by its first task is to live with fidelity the reality of communion in a constant effort to develop an authentic community of persons. It will help a person who grows in harmony in a society where he or she has to communicate every day in his or her life.

 Christian family is grafted into the mystery of the Church to such a degree as to become a sharer, in its own way, in the saving mission proper to the Church: by virtue of the sacrament, Christian married couples and parents “in their state and way of life have their own special gift among the People of God.” In this way, while the Christian family is a fruit and sign of the supernatural fecundity of the Church, it stands also as a symbol, witness and participant of the Church’s motherhood.

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MICHAEL NJENGA KIMANI      11106T

What is a Church?

The word may have various meaning from the different aspects in life that one may like to use to give it a meaning. Ordinarily it is a place of worship for Christians, where they gather together with the intention of giving thanks and praise to God.More than just a place it has been taken to mean the congregation itself of believers who come together with one aim of glorifying their Lord and God. Human being by nature is a social being thus in his relation to others and with creation acknowledges the creator who is the source of all that is visible and invisible.

There are factors that make and build the church:

A)    Who or what is the Church; as believers when we come together we form a community which ends up to called a Church as we carry on our mission given to as by Christ.

B)    Purpose or intention/ goal of the Church; Jesus did not intend to found the entity called Church but it ended up being as a result of his ministry. Jesus missioned his disciples to go out to the whole world to proclaim the good news and for those who would believe make them disciple by baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C)    Motivation of the Church.The Bible tell us “Where two or three are gathered together in my name I shall be there in their midst” Jesus Christ is the center, pivot or control point of the Church and events/ activities. This is based on Gods’ love.

D)    Leadership or governance in the Church. Jesus called Peter; the rock on which he said “I will build/erect my church”. The Church has Christ as its head while the believers make up his body. Nonetheless the Church as an institution has a hierarchical structure of governance but since in the eyes of God we are all equal the leadership is circular which is two way. We all participate actively.

E)     Duties and obligation of the Church. The role of the Church is to safe guard life and protects nature. The Church as the body of Christ may imply that we are in this world but we are not of this world for we belong wholly and entirely to God who made us with his own purpose. Therefore as one body the church high is our origin high is our destiny.