Just Teach Sheet Adult September Week 2

Adult Track – Just Teach Sheet

September Week 2
Theme: Faith & Belonging to the Church
Audience: Adults (newly returned, active parishioners, ongoing formation)
Focus: To rediscover that faith is not a private choice only, but a belonging: to Christ and to His Church, which is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.

Weekly Goal

To deepen understanding that Christ founded the Catholic Church as His Body and Bride. Believing in Him means belonging to Her.

What You’ll Need

This sheet

Bible

10–15 minutes daily for reflection and prayer

Opening Prayer (Daily)

Lord Jesus Christ,
You founded the Church as Your Body and Your Bride.
Teach me to love Her, to be faithful in worship,
and to live as a true Catholic disciple.
Amen.

�� Day 1 – Christ Founded a Church, Not Just an Idea

Teaching:
Christian faith is not “me and Jesus only.” From the start, Christ founded a visible Church, built on the apostles, with Peter as head.

�� Matthew 16:18–19 – “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church… I will give you the keys of the kingdom.”

Reflection:
The Catholic Church is not man-made; it is Christ’s own work.
To belong to Christ is to belong to His Church.

Questions:

Do I sometimes slip into thinking faith is just personal?

How do I see Christ’s authority at work through His Church?

�� Day 2 – The Church is One

Teaching:
There are thousands of denominations. Only the Catholic Church remains visibly united under one faith, one baptism, and one visible head — the Pope.

�� Ephesians 4:4–5 – “There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

Reflection:
Unity is not accidental — it is Christ’s will.

Questions:

What does it mean to me personally to belong to a Church of 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide?

How does this unity give me confidence in my faith?

�� Day 3 – The Church is Holy

Teaching:
Yes, members of the Church sin. But the Church herself is holy because Christ is holy. Her holiness is expressed above all in the sacraments and in the saints.

�� Ephesians 5:25–27 – Christ “loved the Church and gave Himself up for her… that she might be holy and without blemish.”

Reflection:
Scandals wound us, but they do not define the Church. She remains holy because her soul is the Holy Spirit.

Questions:

Do I allow the failures of members to shake my faith in Christ’s holy Church?

How do the saints show me the holiness of the Church?

�� Day 4 – The Church is Catholic (Universal)

Teaching:
“Catholic” means universal. The Church is for all times, all places, all people.

�� Matthew 28:19–20 – “Go and make disciples of all nations… I am with you always.”

Reflection:
The Catholic Church is the largest family in the world — the same Mass, same sacraments, same Creed everywhere.

Questions:

Have I experienced the universality of the Church — on pilgrimage, in travel, or in prayer?

How does this universality witness to the truth of Christ’s promise?

��️ Day 5 – The Church is Apostolic

Teaching:
The Church is built on the apostles. The Pope and bishops are successors of the apostles, entrusted with teaching, governing, and sanctifying in Christ’s name.

�� John 20:21–23 – “As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you… If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.”

Reflection:
The same authority given to the apostles is alive today in the successors of Peter and the apostles. Apostolic succession guarantees the truth of our faith.

Questions:

Do I see the Pope and bishops as gifts of Christ’s authority for my faith?

How does apostolic succession give me confidence in the Catholic Church’s teachings?

�� Weekend Wrap-Up – Belonging to the Church

Reflect:

The Church is not just something I go to, but Someone I belong to — the Body of Christ.

The four marks of the Church (One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic) show she is Christ’s true Church.

Belonging to the Church is belonging to Christ — and salvation.

Journal Prompts

“The Catholic Church is Christ’s Church because…”

“The mark of the Church that strengthens my faith most is…”

“I defend my faith by…”

Apologetics for Adults

Q: Why not just be Christian without being Catholic?
A: Because Jesus did not found “Christianity” in general — He founded the Catholic Church (Matthew 16:18).

Q: Aren’t all churches basically the same?
A: No. Only the Catholic Church has all four marks: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.

Q: How can the Church be holy if members sin?
A: The holiness of the Church comes from Christ, not from the personal holiness of all her members. She remains holy in her sacraments, her teachings, and her saints.

Catechism Extension

CCC 811 – “The Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic in her deepest and ultimate identity.”

CCC 813 – “The Church’s unity… is found in her profession of faith, common celebration of worship, and apostolic succession.”

CCC 823 – “The Church… is held, as a matter of faith, to be unfailingly holy.”