ROSE ANNE L.

MAGTOTO BSN1 – 1

Differentiate the following:

1. going to church and being Church

Nowhere in the New Testament do you read that the followers of Jesus "went to
church." What you do read is that the Church (the people) gathered together. There is a
big difference between the two. The Church is the people, not a place or a meeting you
attend. We believe that in the modern world, the "church" has become known as a place
that people go to versus a people on a mission for God. We cannot underestimate the
power of how words shape our understanding of what a "church" is and how it is supposed
to function.

For far too long, the major emphasis of our churches has been on "going to church."
In other words, we were reasonably faithful in our attendance in Mass, gave a little money
and perhaps involved ourselves in some activity at the church building that was evidence
of our Christian faith.

What the church needs to do is to put the emphasis on "being the church" by (1)
turning our resources, and our efforts outside the four walls and take the Good News with
all its social implications into the world outside the building, (2) reaching out to the children
whose parents are concerned enough to care about their spiritual growth and bringing
them into the building so to provide them with activities. But do it with church money, not
with state money. Also by (3) going to the elderly where they are in the retirement homes
to share with them and to make them feel wanted and appreciated, (4) finding the poor
who live down the block, (5) adopting a family and stand beside them in their financial
need. Finally by (6) taking the funds you are using to support the bureaucracy and
hierarchy and spend them on programs to reach out to the children, the poor, the
unemployed, and the elderly. The bureaucracy and the hierarchy will appreciate your
doing so because they are always telling you this is what you should be doing. Sure, you
will be burned from time to time. But often you will find individuals who deeply appreciate
what you do and they will be drawn to this Jesus we proclaim because of the actions of
those in the church.

Quit putting the emphasis on "going to church" and put it on "being the church." You will
be surprised at how much good your church can do and how many people will respond
with amazement and joy. And many will come to follow Christ because of your actions.

2. receive grace and being graced

Grace is God giving us something we do not deserve: forgiveness and eternal life. But
grace comes through the conduit of faith in Jesus Christ alone. Grace cannot be earned by
getting our lives together first. Jesus didn't come for good people: He came for sinners.
We must claim spiritual bankruptcy before we can be forgiven of that debt. Receiving
Jesus means receiving grace! The difference of receive grace is asking for something so
that it will be given to us while being graced something will be given to us without asking
for it.

3. Original Sin and Original Grace

This Original Sin is the sinful nature that every human has inherited because of the
original sinful choice that Adam and Eve made thousands of years ago in the Garden of
Eden when tempted by Satan. Due to this choice made by the first man and woman, the
Sin is now in the flesh of all mankind and when we are born, we are destined to death
unless we make the choice to believe in Jesus who is the Spiritual Tree of Life. If we
choose to believe in Him, we get the opportunity to have the Eternal Life we were
supposed to have from the beginning before Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. When
we become Christians, we are reborn and receive Salvation and Eternal Life. This New
Covenant of Grace has the destiny of death made void by the Blood of Jesus.

If Adam and Eve hadn’t committed the Original Sin, Satan himself would have no
influence on us, but because of the Original Sin, he knows the Original Sin is within us and
he seeks to tempt us in an attempt to have us turn away from God, therefore surrendering
the Original Grace that has been offered to those that choose Jesus. Even Christian
heroes like Paul found sin a difficult thing to conquer, because in fact, we could never
conquer it, but JESUS did it for us. That doesn’t excuse our sins, but rather, allows us the
Original Grace which is an experience of friendship with our fellowmen and with God,
when we repent and ask for His forgiveness because we believe that Jesus died to save
us from sin and death.

4. ritual and sacrament

A ritual is a formalized, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a

particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. The set of actions that comprise a
ritual often include, but are not limited to, such things as recitation, singing, group
processions, repetitive dance, manipulation of sacred objects, etc. The general purpose of
rituals is to express some fundamental truth or meaning, evoke spiritual, numinous
emotional responses from participants, and/or engage a group of people in unified action
to strengthen their communal bonds. The word ritual, when used as an adjective, relates
to the noun 'rite', as in rite of passage. Rituals may express a part of a larger social
doctrine, or simply of a personal one. In religion, a ritual can comprise the prescribed
outward forms of performing worship, the cultus or cult of a particular observation within a
religion or religious denomination. Although ritual is often used in context with worship
performed in a church, the actual relationship between any religion's doctrine and its
ritual(s) can vary considerably from religion to religion. Ritual often has a close connection
with reverence, thus a ritual in many cases expresses reverence for a deity. Religious
rituals have also included human sacrifice and other forms of ritual murder.

The Sacraments are visible and sacred signs of God’s presence. They are visible
means of bringing us to unity with God and one another. Also, a sacrament is a sacred
and visible sign instituted by Jesus Christ to give us divine life or grace. It is visible sign
that puts us in contact with Jesus. They represent particular action and values of Jesus
during His public ministry. For example, the Sacrament of baptism represents conversion
and death to sin; the Sacrament of Reconciliation represents forgiveness; the Sacrament
of Anointing of the sick represents healing; the Sacrament of Confirmation represents the
strengthening of the commitment given at Baptism; the Sacrament of Matrimony
represents love and life; the Sacrament of Holy Orders represents a call to service; and
the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist represents unity of the community while at the same
time, reenacting what took place in the Last Supper. The purpose of the sacraments is to
satisfy us, to build up the Body of Christ, and to give worship to God. Because the
sacraments are signs, they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and
objects, they also nourish, strengthen, and express it. That is why they are called
sacraments of faith. Remember, that Jesus, in His humanity, is the original Sacrament and
Sign of God’s saving love for all. Through Him, we are able to understand the love and
care of God for His people. The Church is the sacrament of Jesus, and the seven ritual
sacraments are sacraments of the Church – they visibly manifest and effectively enact the
Church’s mystery and mission of making Christ present.

5. covenant and contract

A contract is made for a limited period, for a specific purpose, between two or more
parties, each seeking their own benefit. A covenant is made open-endedly by two or more
parties who come together in a bond of loyalty and trust to achieve together what none can
achieve alone. A contract is like a deal; a covenant is like a marriage. Contracts belong to
the market and to the state, to economics and politics, both of which are arenas of
competition. Covenants belong to families, communities, charities, which are arenas of
cooperation. A contract is between me and you – separate selves – but a covenant is
about us – collective belonging. A contract is about interests; a covenant is about identity.
And hence the vital distinction not made clearly enough in European politics, between a
social contract and a social covenant: a social contract creates a state; a social covenant
creates a society.

A CONTRACT is an agreement made in suspicion. The parties do not trust each other,
and they set "limits" to their own responsibility. A COVENANT is an agreement made in
trust. The parties love each other and put no limits on their own responsibility. Indian
Leaders made Treaties with the Great White Father and called them Covenants, sealing
them with the smoke of the Sacred Pipe. The trouble began when the Great White Father,
his Lieutenants, and Merchants looked on the Treaties and called them Contracts. Thus,
the conflict between Cultures began in the basic religious difference. Other Covenants
made in respect and love are:

Covenant With Adam God blessed them, saying: "Be fertile and multiply: fill the earth
and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living
things that move on the earth." God also said: "See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all
over the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food, and to all the
animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the
ground, I give all the green plants for food." And so it happened. God looked at everything
he had made, and he found it very good.

Covenant With Noah God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "See, I am now
establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living
creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals that were
with you and came out of the ark. I will establish my covenant with you, that never again
shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another
flood to devastate the earth." God added: "This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to
come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you: I set my
bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth."

Covenant With Abraham The Lord said to Abram: "Go forth from the land of your
kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a
great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a
blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the
communities of the earth shall find blessing in you."

Covenant With Moses "Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant,
you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the
earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation."

Covenant In Jesus Matthew--The Beatitudes "You are the light of the world. A city set
on a hill cannot be hidden. Men do not light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket.
They set it on a stand where it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, your light
must shine before men so that they may see goodness in your acts and give praise to your
heavenly Father. Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets. I have
come not to abolish them, but to fulfil them. Of this much I assure you: until heaven and
earth pass away, not the smallest letter of the law, not the smallest part of a letter, shall be
done away with until it all comes true." "Full authority has been given to me both in heaven
and on earth; go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to carry out
everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, until the end of
the world."