Catholic Essentials Chapter 3 Paschal Mystery The Mission

Catholic Essentials Chapter 3 Paschal Mystery The Mission of Jesus Christ

Original Holiness and Justice Adam and Eve enjoyed continual friendship with God and lived in harmony with each other and with creation around them. The grace of original holiness was for humans to share in God’s life. The gifts of original justice included immortality and the absence of suffering and pain.

Original Sin • Through this sin, the first human beings disobeyed God’s command chose to follow their own wills rather than God’s will. • Man wanted to be “like God” but “without God, before God, and not in accordance with God. ” • –St. Maximus the Confessor

Temptation • Original sin is a result of the temptation of a fallen angel called Satan or the devil. • The worst harm done by Satan was the deceptive temptation of Adam and Eve.

So Great a Redeemer • Genesis 3: 15 – The Protoevangelium • Punishment for sin did not mean abandonment by God; rather, God sought to rebuild humanity part by part, step by step. • Over time, the completion of the Protoevangelium included the formation of a holy nation and covenant promises, culminating in the birth of the Messiah.

Original Sin • Our first parents’ personal sin is transmitted to all generations – we are all born into the condition of original sin and subject to a certain domination by Satan, prone to ignorance, suffering and death, and inclined to sin (concupiscence).

Covenant with Noah • Genesis 6: 5 - 9: 29 - the Great Flood. • God made a covenant with Noah to repopulate the earth after the Flood and promised never to destroy the earth again. • A rainbow is the symbol of this agreement.

God Calls Abraham • Abraham is the “father of faith” for Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. • God promised land, descendants, and a continuous friendship with Abraham’s people. • God formed his people through the covenant with Abraham.

God Forms His People • The Patriarchs include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s sons. • God freed his Chosen People from slavery in Egypt. • God taught his Chosen People to look for a promised Savior.

Moses • Through Moses, God’s people learned his law and how to keep it in exchange for freedom. • With the Sinai Covenant came the Law of Moses or the “Torah. ” • Israel was the channel of God’s covenant to the whole world.

Natural Law • Natural Law, what humans know intuitively to be right or wrong, corresponds to three basic human drives and needs: – Preserving life – Developing as individuals and communities – Sharing life with others The Ten Commandments provide the principal commandments of Natural Law.

Redemption Through the Paschal Mystery • The saving love of God is most fully revealed in the life and especially the Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Events That Led to the Death of Jesus • The Messiah was expected to be a great military leader and restore Israel to greatness. • The Jews of Jesus’ time did not expect a personal savior. • It was difficult to keep the Mosaic Law in its entirety. – Day of Atonement – Pharisees and the letter of the law.

Events That Led to the Death of Jesus • Law written on the hearts of people: The Beatitudes. • “You have heard it said…but I say to you. ” • Teaching about the Temple. • Teaching about the forgiveness of sins.

The Passion and Death of Jesus • By freely giving his life on the cross, in complete obedience to his Father, Jesus atoned for both Original Sin and personal sins. • His Death was an expiation – a purging or cleansing – of sin.

Events of The Passion • • Entry into Jerusalem Hostility toward Jesus The Last Supper The Agony in the Garden Jesus before the Sanhedrin Jesus before Pilate The Death of Jesus

He is Risen! • The essential kerygma (message) of the Gospels is “Jesus is risen!” • The empty tomb was the first sign of the Resurrection. • Many witnesses verified the appearances of Jesus after the Resurrection. • Jesus’ resurrection makes our own resurrection possible some day.

Everlasting Life • We should prepare ourselves for the hour of our death. • In death, our soul is separated from our body, the body decays, and the soul goes to meet God while awaiting reunion with its glorified body when we will be “raised from the dead. ”

The Ascension of Jesus The Descent of the Holy Spirit • At his ascension, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit. • After the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, the apostles were no longer afraid and began to preach confidently that “Jesus is Lord. ”