Religion Homework

2. How did the early Church continue Jesus’ prophetic ministry?

Luke depicts the characteristics of an ideal Church, composed of Christian fellowship, prayers, breaking bread (Eucharist) and the teachings of the Apostles. The topic that the church continues Jesus’ prophetic mission is told in Acts 1-2. After the dedication to Theophilus, Acts tells of the risen Lord appearing to and instructing the Apostles for forty days, during which time Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1– 5). After Jesus tells the disciples to preach in Judea, Samaria, and everywhere else (“ to the very ends of earth”), we find a report of Jesus’ Ascension. Then, it talks about the first church in Jerusalem, composed of eleven Apostles. “All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (Acts 1:14). “Note here the importance of prayer, the presence of women disciples, and the central role of Mary as a faithful witness to her Son and a source of strength to the Apostles and other disciples. This verse links Acts with Luke’s Gospel because the Apostles could give witness to Jesus’ public ministry and to the risen Lord; the women could attest to his burial and the empty tomb; and Mary, his mother, could witness to Jesus’ birth and the “hidden years” of his youth.” Acts 1:15–26 reveals 
how prayer helped the Apostles and the initial 
group of Jesus’ disciples
 (120 in number) choose 
Judas’s successor. Since 
there were twelve tribes 
in Israel, the twelve
 Apostles were a symbol
 for a renewed Israel. Just as Christ chose the twelve 
Apostles, God restored the Twelve, thus preparing for the coming of the Holy Spirit and the foundation of the Church.

4. Give several ex...

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... to come to humanity.

- Mary prayerfully meditates on the meaning of her Son (2:52) and is faithful to him to the end, following him to the cross. As we have seen, she was also with the Apostles in the Upper Room, awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit. She perfectly fulfills the criteria Jesus states for true discipleship: hearing the Word of God and putting it into action (8:21).

- Mary illustrates well a major Lucan theme that we will take up next: God’s preferential love for the poor. Mary was not some famous, wealthy, or glam- orous person that God chose. She was a simple, humble young girl whose famous prayer, the Magnifi- cat, praises God for the gift of salvation and for how God reaches out to and rescues the lonely, the hun- gry, and the poor. Her prayer ends by praising God, who is fulfilling all his promises made to Abraham for the salvation of humanity.