The Mystical Body of Christ, Communion of Saints, The Church and the Pope,

1. MISTICAL BODY
OF CHRIST
Episode #1

2. Baptized become children of God
God made each of us and he care
for us.
◦ And each of us is important.
When we were baptized, we
became children of God
Not only that, but we also are
brought into God’s family
God is our Father, the Catholic
Church is God’s family
In fact all those who follow Jesus
are God’s true family.

3. All Members are Important
In a family everyone is different, and
everyone is important.
In one his letters Paul talks about this, when
he compares God’s family to a body.
◦ He said if a foot says I’m not a hand, and not belong to the
body… it is wrong!
◦ Everybody know that humans need to had hands and
feet.
Then Paul says
◦ if the ear says I'm not an eye, so I am not belong to the
body… it is wrong!
◦ If body can have only eye, how can smell anything? How we
can ever talk? How we can ever hear?
We know that a human body needs all this
different parts and these parts are called
MEMBERS.

4. Mystical Body of Christ, the God’s family
St. Paul helps to understand why we called God’s
family the MISTICAL BODY OF CHRIST
The word MYSTICAL means SPIRITUAL
Spiritual refers to something that is real, but
we cannot see it with our eyes.
In baptism the Holy Spirit brings us all
together into the one family or one body
This is the mystical body of Christ
◦ It Includes all living baptized, all who have lived
before us, and all saints in heaven, even though we
don’t see them.
◦ We all are members of God’s family or One Body.

5. We come together into
Jesus Mystical Body
We come together into one family
into one Mystical Body of Christ, when
we are united to Jesus.
To help us to understand this,
Jesus told us a kind of story (known
as parable) about the Vine

6. The Parable about the Vine
Jesus said:
• “I am the vine;
• you are the branches”

7. Jesus says: I am the Vine
So we are the branches or
leaves connected to the vine
Then Jesus said:
◦ If a man (you & me) doesn’t abide
in me, he is cast for as a branch
and wider”
◦ To wider mean: dry up & whither
is death.
Jesus wants us to have life
and to be with him.
◦ So he said: “abide in me”

8. Beautiful Paintings of the Vine

9. We are Members of
The Mystical Body of Christ
We must always remain close to Jesus,
just like the leaves are connected to the vine.
We will enjoy life and enjoy with God forever.
All the branches that are connected to the
vine, are the same Plant.
Just as you & I are the same family of God.
We are part of the same Mystical Body of
Christ.
Jesus thought how we are to live in God’s
family
HE gave us a NEW WAY OF LIFE, and an new
commandment for us.
His commandment tells us how we have to
live.

10. Jesus' Commandment
Jesus says this is my commandment:
“that you should love one another as I have
love you”
So we suppose to love all people around us
We are suppose to love other people in the
same way Jesus love us.
How does Jesus loves us?
◦ HE loves us so much that he died for us.
◦ Jesus told us that the greater love that we can have is
lying our lives for our friends
This means that we always need to be
thinking about other people before our selves.

11. We Need to be Thinking about others
we always need to be thinking about
other people before our selves.
◦ This is hard because we can be very selfish
◦ When we are being selfish, we are not being
like Jesus.
When we love other people and think
about them first, then we are being like
Jesus.
And loving other as he loves us.
Since God is our Father, we need to
love each other as brothers and sisters
Jesus is our brother, whatever we do to
other people we do it to Him.

12. Think Of Others More Than You Think
About Yourself
If we are selfish and do not care
about other people, we are not caring
about Jesus.
If we love others as Jesus loves
them, we become more like Him.
For example:
◦ IF we live like Jesus, we will let others have
the larger piece of cake, even though it is
hard to do this.
If we think of others, more than we
think about ourselves, we are showing
Jesus that we love Him.
Jesus says that whatever we do to
the least of his brothers, we did for
Him.

13. We Can Show Jesus That
We Love Him
There are many ways, we can
show Jesus that we love Him.
◦ For example showing love to others!
What are some ways we can show
love to other people?
◦ When they are sick, you can cook them a
special food.
◦ When you help someone who fall
◦ Helping cleaning up your stuff.
All this are wonderful ideas

14. Little Sings of Love for Jesus.
It is good to practice and
show every day small acts of
love such as:
1) Obeying your parents
2) Doing you home work
3) Going to be at time
All these are little sings of love
for Jesus.

15. LOVE is CHARITY
Another word for LOVE is CHARITY
When we are Baptized, The Holy Spirit
gave us FAITH, HOPE and CHARITY
The Holy Spirit fills us with Love or Charity
◦ And He wants us to share his CHARITY, or LOVE with
our neighbor.
God is our Father, we call the God’s family
(the Church), the Mystical Body of Christ.
We have life as part of God’s family, when
we are united to Jesus like branches are
united to a Vine

16. Whatever We do to Others,
We do to Jesus.
Jesus calls us to love other as he loves
them.
Whatever we do to others, we do to
Jesus.
Lets see the Story of the Good Samaritan

17. The Parable of the Good Samaritan
On one occasion an expert in the law…
asked Jesus:
◦ “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus replied: ”What is written in the Law?”
He answered,
◦ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your strength and
with all your mind”
◦ and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus replied.“You have answered
correctly.” “Do this and you will live.”
But he asked Jesus,
◦ “And who is my neighbor?”
Then Jesus answered him with THE
PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN

18. The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Jesus said:
◦ “A man was going down from
Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was
attacked by robbers.
◦ They stripped him of his clothes,
beat him and went away, leaving
him half dead.
◦ A priest happened to be going
down the same road, and when he
saw the man, he passed by on the
other side,
◦ So too, a Levite, when he came to
the place and saw him, passed by on
the other side.

19. The Good Samaritan
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came
where the man was;
and when he saw him, he took pity on
him.
He went to him and bandaged his
wounds, pouring on oil and wine.
Then he put the man on his own
donkey,
And brought him to an inn and took
care of him.

20. The Good Samaritan
The next day he took out
two denarii $$$$,
and gave them to the
innkeeper.
Then he said to the
innkeeper:
◦ “Look after him,
◦ and when I return,
◦ I will reimburse you for any
extra expense you may have.”

21. “Go and do likewise.”
When Jesus ended the parable, he
asked:
“Which of these three do you think was
a neighbor to the man who fell into the
hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one
who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
(Luke 10:25-37)
Jesus is asking us to go and do the
same with everyone: to love them and
take care of them.
This is a good way to show God that
we love him.

22. QUICK REVIEW
1. When we are baptized we become members of the
Mystical Body of Christ
2. Jesus New Commandment is: “Love one another as
I have Love you”
3. Another word for Love is CHARITY
◦ we receive this LOVE in Baptism
◦ The New word for Love: Charity
4. The Holy Spirit fills us with CHARITY when we are
baptized
5. God is our Father and he loves each of us
6. When we love others, we are showing Jesus that we
love Him, too.

24. The Church and the Pope
Episode #2

25. • In the last episode, we learned that Everyone who
follows Jesus makes up the True family of God.
• God is our Father and we are all brothers and sisters.
▫ The Catholic Church is God’s family.
• We enter God’s family, when we are baptized

26. COMMUNION of SAINTS
• COMMUNION of SAINTS: is
another name for the Church.
• The word COMMUNION means
“Union With” someone, or
something
▫ COM
▫ UNION
• It means many things come together
to form one thing.
▫ United or in Communion
▫ You all are getting alone
▫ You’re grow together in love
▫ You’re united, or in communion
• But here we are taking about the
Union with the Saints.

27. Communion of Saints is the Church
• We mean the union with
the members of all saints in
God’s family
• Even though me and you may
not know each other, we are
united
▫ If we are both members of God’s
family, we are together
▫ We are part of the Communion
of Saints
• The Catechism says: that the
Communion of Saints is the
Church.
▫ It is another way of saying that
the Church is God’s family.

28. God our Father
in Heaven
• Do you expect that this family has a father?
• Well, the Church has a Father: God our Father in Heaven
• Our heavenly father take good care of us, in one way, is
through the Church
• The Church teaches us the True about God and the way
God wants us to live.
▫ How does the Church know the true about God?
▫ How the Church teaches us?

29. God teaches us through The Bible
• God teaches us in a special way:
• The 1st way is the Bible
▫ The BIBLE: is God Holy word to us.
▫ It is God speaking to us.
• Sometimes though we need
help to understand the Bible,
and what God tells us about Himself
• So God gave us someone to
teach us; this someone is the
POPE.

30. The Holy Spirit makes sure that the
Pope teaches the Truth
• The Holy Spirit makes sure that the
Pope teaches the Truth
▫ about God,
▫ and about the way that we should live.
• Jesus Promised to the Apostles that
the Holy Spirit will guide them:
▫ “I have many more things to say to
you… "But when He, the Spirit of truth,
comes, He will guide you into all the truth;
▫ for He will not speak on His own initiative,
but whatever He hears, He will speak; and
He will disclose to you what is to come.
▫ "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine
and will disclose it to you.… (John 16:13-15)

32. God gave us someone to teach us
• The POPE in union with the
Bishops help us to understand
the Bible,
• and all that God has shown us
about himself.
• What Jesus thought to the
apostles is handed on to us in the
Bible
• And through the teachings of The
Church

33. The First Pope
• Jesus called together 12 apostles
to follow Him, and to learned from
Him.
• One of them would become the
Bishop of Rome, and the first Pope.
• One day Jesus was talking with the
disciples and asked them:
▫ Who do people said that I am?
• They replied:
▫ Some say that you are John the Baptize
▫ Or Elias or Jeremiah
▫ Or maybe one of the Prophets.
• A course all these answers were
wrong!

34. One became the Bishop of Rome
The First Pope
• Jesus said:
▫ But who do you say that I am?
• It was Peter who answered:
▫ You are the Christ the Son of the
Living God”
• Peter knew that Jesus was
God, and He said so because God
the Father has revealed this to
Peter.
• Then Jesus said to Peter:
▫ I tell you, you are Peter and in this
Rock I will build my Church…

35. One became the Bishop of Rome
The First Pope
• Jesus said to Peter:
▫ I tell you, you are Peter, and
in this Rock I will build my
Church,
▫ And the Powers of the death shall
not prevail against it.
▫ I will give you the Keys of the
kingdom of Heaven.

36. “Strengthen
Your
Brothers”
• In another place Jesus tells Peter
▫ strengthen your brothers.”
• Also in other occasion Jesus said to Simon Peter,
▫ "Tend My lambs…
▫ "Shepherd My sheep…"
▫ "Tend My sheep.…”
• Jesus was putting Peter in charge of all other apostles, and in charge of
Church on earth.
▫ What ever Peter thought was to help up to build the family of God.
▫ Everyone can be sure that everything Peter said about God, or about how we have to
live the Christian life, is True,

37. Peter became the 1st Pope
• Peter became the 1st Pope and
became so much like Jesus
• Peter was crucify upside down
because he thought that he was not
worthy to died exactly as Jesus have
died.
• The Pope has the very
important job:
• helping to lead others to Heaven,

38. Peter all the way down to
the Pope today
• Jesus chose Peter to be
the 1st Pope
• When Peter died St
Linus took his Place
• We can follow one Pope
up to another all the way
down to the Pope today.

39. Jesus Speaks to us through Pope
• Today Jesus Speaks to us through Pope
Francis
• Whatever he teaches about God, and how
we should live us Christian, is base in the
teachings of the Gospels.
• Parents have to make sure that the
family stick together, and remain united.
• That is one of the important jobs of a Parent
▫ When mom and dad make a decision everyone
needs to follow
▫ It is the only way a family can stay to UNITED
• In the same way the Church stay united
together, when we listen to the POPE
▫ He is like a father here on earth
▫ And he guides us and protects us .

40. Someone Have to Make Sure that the
Family Stick Together
• When a family do different
things by their own,
• they may be together, but not
united.
• All of the different activities are fine,
• but some have to make sure that the
members of the family stick
together, and remain united.
• This is the job of the Pope, to guide
and protect this unity.

41. Laid Hands on them and Ordain
Priests and Bishops
• Before Jesus ascended to
Heaven, Jesus made Peter the
first Pope
• Also He made Peter and other
apostles the first Bishops
• When Peter and other
apostles pray and laid hands in
other men,
• they ordain them as priests and
Bishops, too.

42. Bishops to take Apostles’ Place
• Then when the apostles
died,
• there were new Bishops to
take their place.
• And to tell the new
believers that Jesus has
risen from the death
• This happened time, and
time on again.

43. Bishops are the Apostles Successors
• Today the Bishops are the
apostles successors
• They take the place of the
apostles
▫ We should respect them, and we
should listen t them
▫ Just like we should listen to the
apostles
• They have the special job of
leading you to Jesus… Pray for
them.

44. Good Shepherd
• In the Bible Jesus tells us that He is the Good Shepherd
• We are like sheep, and He guides and protects us

45. Shepherds Guide and Protect
• The Bishops and the Pope are
also Shepherds to us,
• They help in Jesus’ job of
guiding and protecting us.
• They carry something in their
hands that remain us they are
Bishops.
• Thy carry a special staff called: THE
CROSIER

46. Closier usage
• This part is used to put on:
the neck of the sheep,
or body of small sheep,
• And bring it to safety!
The other end is used to hit a
dangerous wolf,
who want to eat the sheep.

47. • The Shepherds can used the Crosier
to knock the sheep as they walk along,
to keep the sheep all together.
• The Shepherd can see danger and
can help to keep the sheep safer, than
they keep themselves.
• It is like this with the Pope and
Bishops
▫ The Closer we stay to their teachings,
▫ The closer we are to Jesus and safer we
are.

48. Catherine of Siena
• She had a grater love for the Church and the
Pope,
▫ At that time something was wrong with the
Church…
• Years before, the Pope was in captured
and carry away to a French town called:
Avignon…
…and the Pope secretly decided, he will go back
to Rome, where he belongs.
• But he was surrounded by many powerful
people, who tried to stop him.
• Thus when Catherine step in.
▫ She wrote letters to the Holy Father,
encouraging him to be brave and go back to
Rome.

49. He took the Place of Jesus and Earth
• Knowing that he took the place
of Jesus on earth,
• Eventually she pay the Holy
Father (Pope) a visit
▫ and give him the courage he
need it.
• She bravely and courage told
him:
▫ Be a Man and promise what
you promise to do.
• She knew that it will help the
church if the Pope live in
Rome.

50. The Pope was made it
back to Rome
• Thanks to her strength and encourage, the
Pope was able to make it back to Rome.
• The troubles for the Church were not over,
but Catherine helped the Pope during difficult
times.
• When Jesus was on earth, prayed that we all
are one
• And He form a Catholic Church (Universal
church that includes & embrace everyone)
• Being separated from the Pope, the Church is
not united at it should be.

51. SAINT JOSAPHAT
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH UNDER THE POPE
• St. Josaphat was Archbishop & Martyr (1584-4623)
▫ He born in 1584 in Vladimir, a City of ancient Poland
• At 23 years of age, he deplored the situation of Religion
in Poland,
▫ In 1596 the Ruthenian Chuch was divided into two
contending parties
▫ He saw divisions growing in the Church,
▫ and that few remain faithful to the Holy See.
• Saint Josaphat studied philosophy and theology and
decided to enter religios life.
• Saint Josapaht was ordained priest and began to
preach in various churches, bringing back many dissedents
to the Union.

52. Saint Josephat
began to follow the Pope
• St Josephat was one who began to follow
the Pope again.
• He lived in Russia; he spend all his life
trying to help people to love Jesus more.
• He knew that the Church BE ONE CHURCH.
• He encourage other to follow the Pope
▫ Some listen, but some not.
▫ Some get so angry with Josephat that they
murdered him.

53. Saint Josaphat
• He was most cruelly assassinated and
his body profaned; he was in his forty-forth
year
• His mortal remains were covered after
five days from the waters of a river.
• And exposed for nine days, constantly
emitting a fragrance of roses and lilies.
• Four years after his death, the author of
the troubles, Melece Smotritski,
▫ after many combats, made a decisive step
▫ and consecrated his life to penance, prayer
and defense of the Union
• Such changes of heart are indeed the
greatest miracles, won by the sanctity of the
true servants of God.

54. St. Josapath
• About five years after St.
Josaphat’s martyrdom,
▫ his body was found intact, though
the clothing had rotten away.
• Again in 1637 it was still white and
supple
▫ A beautiful silver reliquary was made
for it,
▫ with a life-size image of the reclining
Saint surmounting it.
• His body eventually was taken to
the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome.

55. The Unity of the Church
• There are many beautiful way and
customs of being Catholics
▫ But Josaphat also knew that there is
only One Catholic Church
• We must be united to the Pope to fully
belong to the Church.

56. The Priestly Society of St Josaphat
Kuntsevych
• The Priestly Society of St
Josaphat Kuntsevych,
• declares that one of its main goals is
conversion of Russia and Ukraine to
unity with the Catholic Church.

57. The Communion of Saints
• The Communion of Saints:
▫ Family united together
▫ Members of God’s Family:
• God is our Father in Heaven.
• He care for us in a special way through the
teachings of the Pope.
• The Pope has many important names and
titles, one of them is
▫ The Holy Father
▫ Because he has to lead us guide us like a
father…

58. Bishops have to help us
and to lead us to heaven
• Bishops take the place of the apostles
today.
• The Pope & the Bishops are God’s
special witness and gifts for us.
• And they have the job to help us,
and to lead us to Heaven,
▫ NOT ONLY BY TEACHINGS
• But also by deeds and actions:
Humility, Patient, Charity, and Self-
giving.

59. The Church and the Pope