The last words of Matthew’s Gospel tell us what is expected of us now that we have heard and received the Good News. The fact is — we have work to do. And in this little passage called the “Great Commission,” Jesus gives four verbs, four actions that describe the Church: Go. Make disciples. Baptize. Teach.

In our last reflection, we discussed the authoritative teaching office of the Church, the Magisterium, which is exercised by the pope and the bishops in communion with him. 

We mentioned that this teaching office is intended to guard and preserve something that Christ, through his apostles, has entrusted to his Church, namely the deposit of faith, consisting of sacred Scripture and sacred (capital T) Tradition.

In their everyday ministry, bishops are called to faithfully hand on this faith entrusted to them. Traditionally, we have used the expression ecclesia docens, the “teaching Church,” to refer to the Magisterium. This stands in contrast with ecclesia discens, the “learning Church” (discens has the same root as the word “disciple” in English). This is the rest of the faithful who receive this authentic teaching in a spirit of docility, literally “teachableness.”

Yet, this classic distinction was never meant to imply that the Magisterium is the only group in the Church that teaches. Rather, it was meant to highlight the unique character of this teaching authority. The pope, and the bishops in communion with him, exercise the ministry of teaching in an authoritative way because of the office and role they play in the Church. 

It is for this reason that the Magisterium can be exercised “infallibly,” meaning in a way preserved from error. Our belief in infallibility is rooted in our trust in the Holy Spirit and not based on the virtues of the individuals in question. Our teaching Church (docens) can only exercise this role by also humbly being receptive as a learning Church (discens) and listening to the Holy Spirit.

While it is of a different character, we also recognize a broader role of teaching within the Church. As early as the first letter to the Corinthians — maybe written in the mid-50s AD — Paul identifies “teacher” as a distinct role within the life of the Church (see 1 Cor 12:28). The Church has since had a long history of both lay and clerical catechists. As the baptized, we each share in our own unique way, according to the gifts God has given us, in Christ’s threefold office of priest, prophet and king.

You will sometimes hear this referred to as the “common priesthood” of the faithful to distinguish it from the ministerial priesthood of bishops and priests (see Catechism of the Catholic Church 1268). The three munera — that is, the duties, tasks or offices — of bishops are shared in a special way with priests. 

While their coworkers are to teach, govern and sanctify, the everyday work of teaching in the Church is not reserved to the hierarchy alone. It also isn’t reserved to a group of professional catechists. All the faithful are called to hand on the faith and to share in the prophetic office of Christ by instructing others in that faith.

The whole Church is called to catechize because the Church is rooted in the Incarnation. The Church is the body of Christ, tasked with making him tangibly and effectively present to the world. Communicating Christ is what we are called to do; it is our mission. And we do it in many ways. 

We teach by our words and our actions. We teach in our gestures and in our witness. We teach, first and foremost, by being consistent in our faith and by being outwardly active in the practice of that faith. The Church teaches by authentically being that body of Christ. When we, as individuals, slip away from our fidelity, we undermine our call to catechize and make disciples.

Faithfully carrying out the mission Christ has entrusted to us begins with our authentic faith. It is realized when we share that authentic faith with others with a willingness to explain why we believe, what we believe, and then to share why we do what we do. The Church is not an ideology or a collection of abstract ideas. She is Christ’s bride and body. The Catholic Church teaches by her life, and we, as individual Christians, help this happen by actively participating in the life of the Church. 

When we put this life into words to be shared with others in a sincere disposition of faith, we serve our baptismal call to “Go … make disciples.” We lead others to the sacramental life of the Church that baptism opens up. And, we teach others what we have learned from Christ Jesus.