Just Teach Sheet Seekers September Week 1

Seeker Track – Just Teach Sheet

September Week 1
Theme: Faith & Belonging to the Church
Audience: Non-Catholics, those exploring, or returning after many years
Focus: Faith in Jesus is never just “me and God.” From the very beginning, Jesus created a Church to carry His presence, His teaching, and His sacraments to the world.

Weekly Goal

To see clearly that Jesus did not leave us a vague spirituality or thousands of competing groups — He founded one Church, the Catholic Church, and belonging to it is essential for the full Christian life.

What You’ll Need

This sheet

A Bible (or use the printed verses)

A notebook for reflections

Opening Prayer (Daily)

Lord Jesus,
I long to know You truly.
Show me the way You established for Your followers.
Lead me into Your Church,
where I may find Your truth, Your grace, and Your presence. Amen.

�� Day 1 – Did Jesus Intend a Church?

Teaching:
Some say “Christianity is just following Jesus in your own way.” But Jesus Himself said:
�� Matthew 16:18 – “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church.”

��️ Reflection:
Jesus is clear — He didn’t just leave teachings. He left a visible community built on Peter.

Questions:

Have I thought of the Church as Jesus’ idea, not man’s?

If Jesus built a Church, do I want to be part of it?

�� Day 2 – The Church Is One

Teaching:
Jesus prayed that His followers would be one (John 17:21). Division is not His plan. The Catholic Church, despite human weakness, is the one continuous Church from the apostles to today.

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

��️ Reflection:
If truth matters, then it can’t be split into thousands of denominations. Christ’s Church is one, and that unity still exists visibly in the Catholic Church.

Think:

Does it make sense that Jesus would allow His Church to fragment endlessly?

What attracts me to the idea of one Church?

�� Day 3 – The Church Is Catholic (Universal)

Teaching:
The word “Catholic” means “universal.” Wherever you go — Rome, Africa, Asia, South America — the same Mass, the same Sacraments, the same faith.

�� Revelation 7:9 – “A great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language stood before the throne.”

��️ Reflection:
Christianity isn’t tribal or local. Catholic faith is the faith for all people, all times.

Questions:

Have I experienced different versions of Christianity?

What does it say that the Catholic Church has one teaching and one Mass worldwide?

�� Day 4 – Why Not “Just Me and the Bible”?

Teaching:
The Bible itself was gathered and preserved by the Catholic Church. Without the Church, there would be no New Testament.

�� 2 Thessalonians 2:15 – “Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.”

��️ Reflection:
The apostles taught by preaching first, then writing. The Church continues that living teaching with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Questions:

Can “Bible alone” explain why there are so many contradictory groups?

Isn’t it safer to trust the Church that gave us the Bible?

��️ Day 5 – The Church Is a Family

Teaching:
When you enter the Catholic Church, you are not just an individual believer. You are adopted into God’s family.

�� Romans 8:15 – “You received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”

��️ Reflection:
Believing in Christ always means belonging — to His Father, His family, His Church.

Questions:

Does my heart long for spiritual family?

How would belonging to the Church strengthen my faith?

Weekend Wrap-Up – Faith & Belonging

Reflect honestly in your notebook:

If Jesus founded a Church, do I want to be part of it?

What confuses me about the Catholic claim to be the true Church?

What would it take for me to take a step closer to belonging?

Reflection Prompts

“I always thought the Church was…”

“Now I see that the Church is…”

“My next step might be…”

Apologetics Corner

“Aren’t all churches the same?”
No. Only the Catholic Church can trace an unbroken line back to the apostles and Peter.

“Isn’t the Church corrupt?”
Members sin, but Christ’s promises never fail. The holiness of the Church comes from Christ, not from perfect members.

“Can’t I just follow Jesus alone?”
Jesus says we follow Him in His Body, the Church. Without the Church, we are cut off from the Sacraments — especially the Eucharist.

Catechism Extension

CCC 748–750 – “The Church is in history, but at the same time she transcends it.”

CCC 816 – “The sole Church of Christ… subsists in the Catholic Church.”

CCC 830–831 – The meaning of “Catholic.”