Jesus Institutes the Church

Essential Question: When did the
Church begin and what are its
qualities?

Jesus
Institutes
the Church

A) Jesus instituted the 12 Apostles

as "the seeds of the New Israel
and the beginning of the sacred
hierarchy."

B) Jesus had hundreds of followers -

disciples

• The Apostles (the Twelve) were

called by Jesus to be “sent out” (St. Paul, St. Luke)
(apostle in Greek = a “person sent”) for public ministry and to shepherd the Church

• Our faith is never a private

privilege - we are always sent out

Jesus Institutes the
Church

1)

The Last Supper is the event in which the Church was founded

2)

The night before he died, Jesus celebrated the liturgy of the Passover

3)

Liturgy = formal, public act of worship (includes the Mass, but not limited to it - Stations of the Cross,
Liturgy of the Hours, Good Friday Service)

4)

But He would transform Passover to an act of freedom from sin

5)

What did the original Passover celebrate freedom from?

6)

The Last Supper, in turn, would replace Passover as the memorial of liberation from slavery to sin

7)

Memorial = a liturgical and communal act, not an individual action or thought

8)

Just like at Passover, the slain unblemished lamb would be consumed

9)

John the Baptist says of his cousin, “behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”

Establishing
Communion -
the Last Supper

“Do this in memory of me” - Lk 22

Match

Match the following terms to their definition/description

• refers to the original and chosen 12 disciples of Jesus

• one who is "sent out" - examples: St. Luke, St. Paul, St. Mark

• "a follower"

• a formal and public act of worship (includes the Mass, but not limited to it - a Good Friday service, for ex.)

• a communal act, not an individual action or thought

Apostles

apostle

disciple

liturgy

memorial

• Apostles

• apostle

• disciple

• liturgy

• memorial

1)

On the night of the Resurrection, Jesus makes himself “sacramentally” known

2)

On the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) two disciples didn’t recognize Jesus until
the “breaking of the bread” - then Jesus vanished

3)

Jesus promised He would be with us until the end of time, and this is how He is present with us

4)

Every time the Last Supper is represented, which happens at every Catholic Mass, Jesus is made
present with us.

5)

Catholics identify the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist as a “mystery” and it was a fundamental
belief of the early Church.

Establishing
Communion - the
Road to Emmaus

Get out your Bible and read the story (Luke 24:13-35)

“Mystery”

●

inexhaustible truth,

●

something that can be known with
certainty through faith,

●

but can never be fully understood by
human reason

“A mystery is grasped and
appreciated through the eyes of
faith and the highest use of reason.”
- St. Augustine