Just Teach Sheet Deep Formation September Week 4

In-Depth Track – Just Teach Sheet

September Week 4
Theme: Faith & Belonging to the Church
Audience: In-depth learners, catechists, apologists, serious adult formation
Focus: Belonging to the Church means living as disciples in daily life — forgiveness, works of mercy, and public witness. Faith is not compartmentalised; it is a total way of life.

Weekly Goal

To understand and defend the Catholic teaching that Christian faith is lived in every sphere of life. Belonging to the Church entails visible discipleship — love, service, mercy, and courageous witness in a hostile world.

What You’ll Need

Bible

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Notebook for study notes

Writings of the Fathers (esp. Augustine, Cyprian, John Chrysostom)

Opening Prayer (Daily)

Lord Jesus,
You call me to live not for myself but for You.
Teach me to embody the faith of the Church in word and deed,
so that my life may be a true witness to the Gospel.
Amen.

Day 1 – Faith as a Way of Life

Teaching:
Catholicism is not a “Sunday religion” but a 24/7 way of life. The Church is the sacrament of Christ’s presence, and we are its living members.

James 2:17 – “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”
CCC 1816 – “The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it.”

Fathers:

St. Cyprian (3rd c.): “He cannot have God for his Father who has not the Church for his Mother.” (On the Unity of the Church)

Apologetic Note: Modern secularism tries to relegate faith to “private belief.” Catholicism insists: to belong to Christ’s Church is to live openly as His disciple in every aspect of life.

Day 2 – Forgiveness as the Mark of the Church

Teaching:
Forgiveness is non-negotiable for Christians. The Church is credible only if her members live mercy.

Matthew 18:21–22 – “How often should I forgive?… Seventy times seven.”
CCC 2844 – “Christian prayer extends to the forgiveness of enemies… It transfigures the disciple.”

Fathers:

St. Augustine: “There is no remedy for us but to forgive, for we pray daily: forgive us our trespasses.” (Sermon 114)

Apologetic Note: The world sees hypocrisy when Catholics refuse forgiveness. Living mercy is evidence that the Church truly belongs to Christ.

Day 3 – Works of Mercy and Social Witness

Teaching:
From the beginning, the Church has been known for radical charity — hospitals, schools, feeding the poor. These are not “extra” but integral to the mission.

Matthew 25:40 – “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.”
CCC 2447 – Corporal and spiritual works of mercy are essential to Christian life.

Fathers:

St. John Chrysostom: “If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find Him in the chalice.”

Apologetic Note: Catholic social teaching stands on Christ’s command to see Him in the poor. This is a distinctive mark of Catholic life, not optional activism.

Day 4 – Witness in a Hostile World

Teaching:
Faith is personal but never private. Every Catholic is called to witness, even when unpopular.

Matthew 5:14–16 – “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others.”
1 Peter 3:15 – “Always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you.”

CCC 2472 – “The duty of Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them to act as witnesses of the Gospel.”

Fathers:

Tertullian (c. AD 200): “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

Apologetic Note: Today’s culture often rejects Catholic teaching on marriage, life, and truth. Silence is complicity. Belonging to the Church means public courage.

Day 5 – The Mass Sends Us on Mission

Teaching:
The liturgy does not end with Communion. The dismissal (“Ite, missa est”) means mission. To receive Christ is to carry Him to the world.

Acts 1:8 – “You will be My witnesses… to the ends of the earth.”
CCC 1397 – “The Eucharist commits us to the poor.”

Fathers:

St. Augustine: “Be what you see, and receive what you are — the Body of Christ.” (Sermon 272)

Apologetic Note: The Eucharist is not only personal nourishment. It binds us into Christ’s Body and sends us out to transform the world.

Weekend Wrap-Up – Catholic Life Lived Daily

Faith without works is dead (James 2).

Forgiveness is proof of belonging to Christ.

Works of mercy are the Catholic hallmark.

Witness in the world is our mission.

The Eucharist fuels this daily discipleship.

Study Task: Write a 500-word summary explaining how belonging to the Catholic Church changes daily life, using Scripture, CCC, and patristic witnesses.

 

Journal Prompts

“The world would see Christ in me if I…”

“The most difficult part of Catholic witness for me is…”

“One concrete work of mercy I will do this week is…”

Apologetics Corner

Objection: “Faith is private; keep it to yourself.”
→ Christianity has always been public. The apostles, martyrs, and saints died because they would not hide faith.

Objection: “The Church is just Sunday Mass.”
→ The Mass is the source of strength, but the proof is in living it: forgiveness, charity, and witness in the world.

Objection: “Good works are optional — only faith saves.”
→ James 2:24: “A person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” Catholicism is Scripture’s true teaching.

Catechism Deep Dive

CCC 1816 – Faith must be professed and lived.

CCC 2044–2046 – Witness of the faithful.

CCC 2447 – Works of mercy.

CCC 2471–2474 – The duty to bear witness, even unto martyrdom.

Recommended Fathers / Apologists:

Cyprian, On the Unity of the Church

Augustine, Sermons on the Lord’s Prayer

John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew (on almsgiving and witness)

Tertullian, Apology