Act of Faith O MY GOD RELYING ON

Act of Faith O MY GOD, RELYING ON THY INFINITE GOODNESS AND PROMISES, I HOPE TO OBTAIN PARDON OF MY SINS, THE HELP OF THY GRACE, AND LIFE EVERLASTING, THROUGH THE MERITS OF JESUS CHRIST, MY LORD AND REDEEMER. AMEN.

Lesson Three: Revelation � The relationship between faith and reason Natural Reason explains and leads to faith Supernatural Faith “feeds” reason and fulfills reason

Gift of Faith � The gift of Faith is that which makes it possible for us to believe what God has revealed. � By faith, we freely and firmly say “yes” to what God has told us. � The “Faith” – a reference to the Catholic faith, specifically, the body of truths that we believe as Catholics.

Explaining the Faith � Is the Faith reasonable? Yes! Pick a doctrine/teaching of the Church and explain it to a classmate. Explain how it is reasonable.

Revelation � Revelation the veil” � Public – “to remove and Private �Public Revelation refers to the Scriptures and Tradition �Private Revelation refers to personal spiritual experiences

Public Revelation � Scripture � Tradition – the written word of God – the word of God, taught in its fullness by the Apostles and by the doctrine, life, and worship of the Church

The Sacred Scriptures � The 73 Books of the Catholic Bible � 46 Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) books � 27 New Testament books

Tradition � Ecumenical Councils (21) �E. g. The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) � The Liturgy of the Church �E. g. Baptism of infants

Magisterium � Teaching office of the Church � Comprised of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope – and those bishops in union with him � Has role of passing on the truth without error; the Holy Spirit protects Church from formally teaching heresy

Activity Book, p. 3 � Our Need for Revelation 1) What is faith? – Faith is the gift of God whereby man assents to and believes in god and the truths he has revealed. 2) How can we come to know about the mysteries of God? – We can know more about the mysteries of God by believing what he has revealed. 3) How does revelation perfect our knowledge of God? – Revelation perfects our knowledge of God by revealing things about him that we cannot know by reason alone.

Activity Book, p. 3 4) How do faith and reason work together? – Faith allows reason to believe things God has revealed; reason can help us to understand what we believe and why we believe it. 5) How does God reveal himself to us? – Answers will vary: Scripture, Sacred Tradition, Jesus. 6) What have we learned about God from revelation? – Answers will vary, but should include the Blessed Trinity.

Homework � Read selection from Fides et Ratio and write a paragraph reflection.

Act of Faith O MY GOD, RELYING ON THY INFINITE GOODNESS AND PROMISES, I HOPE TO OBTAIN PARDON OF MY SINS, THE HELP OF THY GRACE, AND LIFE EVERLASTING, THROUGH THE MERITS OF JESUS CHRIST, MY LORD AND REDEEMER. AMEN.