Catholic Essentials Chapter 1 The Revelation of Jesus

Catholic Essentials Chapter 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ in Scripture

Our Desire for God • “My Lord and my God. ” • Thomas knew Jesus as a human being, with real flesh and blood, but now he realized that Jesus is truly God.

St. Augustine tells us… • “Despite everything, man, though but a small part of your creation, wants to praise you. You yourself encourage him to delight in your praise, for you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. ”

Who is God? • I • Believe • In • God

God is a Trinity

Other Major Religions • Muslims call God Allah. • Jews do not name God but represent his name using the four Hebrew letters YHWH. • Hinduism recognizes one supreme god, Brahma, but allows worship of lesser gods. • Zoroastrianism believes in the triumph of a good god over an equally powerful evil force. • Buddhism (in some forms) considers Siddhartha Gautama as the supreme god, but he is also a man who achieved enlightenment and salvation.

Vocabulary • Monotheism – belief in only one supreme God. • Polytheism – belief in many gods. • Atheism – belief in no God. • Pantheism – belief that God and nature are the same.

Catholics believe… • There is one God • God is Creator, not created • God is almighty • God is good • God is Trinitarian

God is Good! • • • Core belief of almost all religions God loves each person God’s love is paternal God’s love is maternal “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” Jn 3: 16 God is Almighty!

St. Thomas Aquinas lists nine attributes of God. • God is eternal • God is unique • God is infinite and omnipotent • God is omnipresent • God contains all things • God is immutable • God is pure spirit • God is alive • God is holy

God is Mystery • God’s power is loving. God knows what we need since a loving Father provides for his children. • God still remains a mystery because we may not fully understand why there is evil, suffering, and death, but Almighty God is able to conquer these through the Paschal Mystery of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Creator of Heaven and Earth • 1) God created from nothing. • 2) God creates what He wants – each of us is the result of a thought of God. • 3) What God has made is good because God is good. • 4) God is greater than his works of creation. He is outside his creation, yet still present to it. • 5) God supports his creation – God’s providence leads and guides us.

Jesus Christ: God Incarnate • Belief in the true Incarnation, that God assumed human nature, is the distinctive element of Christianity.

One God in Three Persons • After Jesus was baptized, God the Holy Spirit was visible in the form of a dove hovering over Jesus. The voice of God the Father was heard from Heaven saying… •

Protoevangelium (First Gospel) • “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel. (Gn 3: 15) • The first announcement that God will send a Messiah and Redeemer, who is a descendant of Eve.

The Revelation of God Through History • God has freely and fully revealed himself to us in order to draw us nearer to him and to make us more like him. • God’s Revelation culminates in the person and the mission of Jesus Christ. • God offered his Revelation to human beings in stages.

God Reveals Himself Through Covenants • With Noah – after the flood. • With Abraham – Our Father in Faith. • With Moses – The Ten Commandments. • The Prophets preached about a new and everlasting covenant that would supersede all other covenants. • Jesus is God’s final Revelation. He is the fulfillment of all covenants.

God’s Revelation is Communicated to All • The Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline. (CCC. 75) • The Apostles transmitted the Gospel orally from what they heard and witnessed directly from Jesus. • The Gospels were written down by Apostles or men associated with them through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

God is the Author of Scripture • The Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of the sacred books. • “God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written and no more. ” (Dei Verbum, 11)

Scripture Teaches the Truth • The Bible is the “book of the Church. ” • The words of Scripture must be incarnate and living – not locked into the century in which they were written.

Interpreting Scripture • We must understand what the human authors were attempting to say and what God wanted to reveal by their words. • The reader must take into account the historical and cultural context of the writing. • The detailed study or explanation of a biblical book or passage is known as exegesis from the Greek word meaning “to lead. ”

How to Interpret Scripture Three Modes of Study • 1. Pay attention to the Bible as a whole – See the unity of God’s plan with Christ at the center. • 2. Read the Bible in the light of the living Tradition of the Church – from the perspective of the Church rather than individualistically. • 3. Be attentive to the analogy of faith – Scripture understood within the entire plan of God’s Revelation.

Truth in the Bible • Relational truth – you know it is true from your experience and from the testimony of others. • Symbolic truth – parable – story that uses easily understood symbols and ends with a surprising moral lesson. • Moral truth – laws and standards for living. • Religious truth – describes God’s relationship with humankind.

Senses of Scripture • Literal sense – what the written words mean as they are written. • Spiritual sense – looks at what the words signify: – Allegorical – Moral – Anagogical

Overview of the Bible • God is the author of the Bible. • The word Bible is from a Greek word which means “book. ” • Composed of 73 books – 46 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books. • Books are NOT arranged in the order in which they were written. • Most books written by several authors.

Canon of Scripture • Canon refers to the books of the Old and the New Testaments that the Church accepts as inspired books.

Old Testament • The canon of the Old Testament includes – The Pentateuch – The first five books of the Bible also called the Torah or Law books. – The Prophets – e. g. Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc. – Writings – all other books not included in the first two categories.

• From the Greek word for “seventy. ” • The translation of Scripture from Hebrew into Greek. • Seventy-two Hebrew elders divided into teams to translate the Scriptures. • At the conclusion, each of the translations was exactly the same!

“Second Canon” • Catholic Bibles include the 7 extra books from the Septuagint called deuterocanonical or “second canon. ” • The Old Testament canon of Protestant Bibles includes only those books originally written in Hebrew. However, the “second canon” books are usually printed in a separate section called apocrypha.

The New Testament • The Council of Trent in the 16 th Century confirmed the canon of the N. T. using the following criteria: • 1) originated with the Apostles. • 2) widely circulated and accepted by more than one local Christian community. • 3) doctrine taught was essential to the Christian faith.

New Testament Books • Gospels (good news) • Letters (epistles) written to local Christian communities or individuals by St. Paul • Letters intended for the entire Church (Catholic letters) • Acts of the Apostles - sequel to Luke’s Gospel recounts early days of the Church • Revelation – apocalyptic literature

Stages of Gospel Formation • Stage 1 – The life and teachings of Jesus Christ • Stage 2 – Oral tradition – Deaths of the Apostles, concern for weaknesses in oral tradition, need for catechetical manual and worship aid led to Stage 3… • Stage 3 – The Gospels were written down

Gospels - Written between 65 -100 AD - Synoptic Gospels – Although written for different Christian communities, Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are similar. Synoptic = “one eye. ” -Gospel of John – written later - reflects a fuller understanding of the divinity of Christ.

The Bible in Liturgy • • • First reading from the Old Testament Psalm Response Second Reading from New Testament Letters Gospel Reading (related to the OT reading) Homily (Scripture explained by the priest) Year A – Matthew, Year B – Mark, Year C – Luke • John – Lent and Easter, 5 Sundays of Year B

Scripture in the Life of the Church • The Second Vatican Council renewed interest in Scripture. • Readings at Mass are in the vernacular (language of the people). • Over a three year cycle, Catholics hear readings from virtually every NT book and a large selection of OT readings. • Scripture readings for Mass are contained in the Lectionary (book of readings).

Praying with the Bible The Bible is primarily a book of prayer • Lectio divina – “divine reading” prayerful reading of Scripture – Choose a Scripture reading – Call on the Holy Spirit – Read slowly through the passage – Listen to God speaking in your heart – Conclude with prayer in your own words