CL Reviewer - After Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition in the Philippines in

L8 - The Growth and the Spread of the Church 1521, the Spaniards came and conquered the country. It is
Spreading the Word of God said that the Spaniards used the sword and the cross to
- Before Jesus ascended in heaven, He left His apostles the conquer the Philippines because they also came with their
mission, “Go and make disciples of all nations”. To friars who brought Christianity to our land.
accomplish this task, they must baptize and teach others the - There were different congregations who also came in our
things that He commanded them. land, first were the Augustinians who came with Miguel Lopez
- Talking about hard work, the work of the apostles is the de Legazpi in 1565, followed by the Franciscans who came in
same on how people work on their jobs in our society. Jobs 1578, Jesuits came in 1581 followed by the Dominicans in
are not selfish tasks but a mission to serve our fellow men. 1587 and the Augustinian Recollects in 1606.
Work promotes the dignity of man and uplift the human life.

• Dignity at work refers to the relationship of people in the

workplace, specifically their treatment to one another.
• Dignity of work refers to how work is done and affirms the
basic value of work and how a satisfying, rewarding work
benefits people.

• From the Acts of the Apostles, the growth and spread of

the Church can be traced through the missionary
journeys of the apostles. - These friars did not waste any time in converting the people
- After the martyrdom of Stephen, Christian moved to different especially the natives. Before they baptize them, first they
places. Philip, one of the apostles, during this time, went to give them pre-baptismal catechesis and also introduced
Samaria to preach and was able to convert religious practices such as the praying of Angelus and
- The news in Samaria reached Jerusalem so they sent Peter Rosary, celebration of the Mass, veneration of the Blessed
and John for the followers to receive the Holy Spirit. Mother and the saints.
- After the conversion of Paul, he went to Jerusalem and - This religiosity of the Filipinos was described as bajas de las
joined the apostles in their mission and began his preaching. campanas. To strengthen their faith even more, they even
- God commanded Peter to baptize the gentile, Cornelius. established Catholic schools and printed religious books like
- Paul and Barnabas went to several places and was able to Doctrina Christiana.
add more number of followers. - On the year 2021, we celebrated the 500 years of
- The apostle Andrew went as far as Russia, Asia Minor, Christianity in our country and remembered the first Mass
Turkey and Greece. He is recognized as the first one to bring celebrated in Limasawa Island on Easter Sunday March 31
the gospel to these places. and the baptism of Rajah Humabon who was given a
- Bartholomew, on the other hand went as far as India like Christian name Carlos and his wife Hara Amihan who was
Thomas. He also brought Christianity to Armenia, Ethiopia, baptized Juana in 1521 and to fix our gaze on the Santo Niño
and Saudi Arabia. de Cebu, the oldest religious icon in the Philippines, a gift
- Thomas and James (son of Alpheus) went as far as Syria from Magellan.
but in a church in Kerala, India, a reliquary containing what is
believed to be the relic of St. Thomas (a tiny piece of bone) 1. Integral Faith Formation (2013)
can be found. 2. The Laity (2014)
- In Venice, the magnificent and ancient Church of St. Mark 3. The Poor (2015)
gives testimony to the missionary efforts of Mark to bring 4. The Eucharist and the Family (2016)
Christianity to that place. 5. The Parish as a Communion of Communities (2017)
- John became the leader of the Church in Ephesus. 6. The Clergy and Religious (2018)
Tradition states that he took to his home Mary, the mother of 7. The Youth (2019)
Jesus. 8. Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Dialogue (2020)
- Matthew is said to have started Christianity in Persia and 9. Missio ad gentes [Mission to the Nations) (2021)
Ethiopia
- And Philip is said to have traveled to Carthage in North Lesson 9 - The Challenges of the Church
Africa and also to Asia Minor. His death was caused by the - The value of concern for others is one of the traits why the
proconsul whose wife he converted to Christianity Early Christians cared for one another and was able to
overcome all challenges because of their care for each other.
How did Christianity reach the Philippines? These Early Christians expressed the value of volunteerism
and participation in spreading the gospel and the mission
• What does it mean when we say “Volunteer”?
- Volunteerism means devoting time, self, energy, and other
resources for the sake of other people, which is one of the
characteristics of the Early Christians
- External Persecutions + Internal Conflicts = Challenges of - Despite of his protests, Martin Luther was summoned by the
the Church Church and was asked to formally and publicly renounce his
teachings but he refused. That is why he was
Some Internal Conflicts (Mentioned in the Book of Acts) excommunicated
1. Hellenist widows’ complain about distribution of food. • Excommunication - exclusion from participating in the
2. Baptizing the Gentiles who were not yet circumcised. sacraments and services of the Catholic Church)
- The Church realized her many faults and this counter-
How did the Persecutions become a Privilege? reformation helped the Church to put a stop to the corruption.
• The early Church endured the sufferings for more three Due to the presence of Protestants, dioceses were
centuries, it ended when Roman Emperor Constantine was established.
converted to Christianity. He issued the Edict (Order) of Milan
which states that: • Throughout all the trials and challenges that the Church
- Christianity MUST be tolerated like other religions. experienced, one truth remains – Jesus’ words to Peter that
- Sunday is considered the worship day of the Christians. the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The Church has
- The observance of the feast of Christians martyrs. remained and will always remain standing not just because of
the efforts of the human members but also with the constant
Internal Conflicts during the time of Emperor Constantine guidance of the Holy Spirit.
1. Sincere or political reasons for conversion – Due to the
large number of converts, it was difficult for the authorities to Apostles Creed
identify who was sincere in becoming a Christian and who I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and
were just motivated because of political or social reasons. earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who
2. Line between the state and the Church – The line was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
between the state and the Church became blurred and He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and
because of that, the alliance of Church and state gave birth to was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again
the so-called Christendom. from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the
3. The rise of Arius’ heresy about the Holy Trinity – Arius right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will
claimed that Jesus is not divine, therefore, He is not equal come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy
with God the Father. Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the
- To settle this controversy, Emperor Constantine convened forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life
the Council of Nicea everlasting. Amen.
- This council degreed that at the son of the same substance
as the father. This declaration made by the council formed the
initial Nicene Creed.

• Through the Persecution of the Church ceased during the

time of Emperor Constantine, Christians face new sets of
challenges

Reformation / Protestant Movement

1. Martin Luther - Expressed his dissatisfaction over the way
of the church gives indulgences to people in exchange for the
donations they made. But the has other issues
• Indulgences - Remission of the punishment still due to sin
after the guilt has been forgiven