CHAPTER 3 GOD THE FATHER Pg

CHAPTER 3 - GOD THE FATHER God the Creator Father (pg ) Essential Questions In what sense is God a Father? How does God’s creation differ from man? Workbook Questions #1-9

GOD AS FATHER Many different terms were used in the Old Testament to refer to God and his power Ex: Lord, Almighty, YHWH “Father” very rarely appears To the Israelites, God was a remote figure, not close and personal

GOD AS FATHER With the Incarnation of Christ, we get a new understanding of God Christ wanted us to understand his unique filiation, or “sonship”, with God the Father Christ only referred to God as his Father In Jesus’ time it was shocking to hear him speak of God as “Abba” Christ taught his disciples the “Our Father” We are adopted by the Father through our Baptism

GOD THE CREATOR In theological terms, the word “creation” means the production of something out of nothing. God did not use any pre- existing substance to create the universe Nothing else but God existed before creation God created by the power of his Word

GOD THE CREATOR Creation involved the participation of all three Persons of the Trinity God created everything through the Word, his Son, Jesus Christ When God acts, all three Persons are present and act as well This is called the Divine economy

CHAPTER 3 - GOD THE FATHER God’s Good Creation (pg ) Essential Questions Why did God create the universe? What do Reason and Revelation say about creation? When did time begin? What does it mean to say everything that exists is good? What are God’s preservation of, providence toward, and governance of creation? Workbook Questions #10-16

WHY DID GOD CREATE THE UNIVERSE AND HUMAN BEINGS? God created the world in order to show his perfection through the good things he created. God desired to create all things in order to enable his creatures to share in his love and happiness God wanted his creation to participate in his own divine life. All of creation shows his greatness Because humans were made in his image and likeness, we are especially called to praise God

THE BEGINNING OF CREATION There was a point where nothing existed except God. There was no “time” because time implies change Time began with creation – “The Beginning of Time” God’s work of creation was distributed over 6 days, according to the book of Genesis. The Catholic Church teachers that the creation story is true God was not trying to tell us how he created, but why he created

THE BEGINNING OF CREATION The story of creation: Reveals who God is, who we are, and the meaning of our existence Shows the meaning of creation, including that of man and women, and their roles in the world Teaches about the origin of sin and our relationship with God and with each other

GOD CREATED A WORLD THAT IS GOOD Genesis tells us that all of creation is good The inherent goodness of matter was affirmed by Christ when he became man himself and when he instituted the Sacraments Because all things created by God are naturally good, we are called to love the world

PRESERVATION, PROVIDENCE, AND GOVERNMENT Creation is not fully developed It was created in a state of change and is progressing toward an ultimate state of perfection Preservation refers to the continued existence and maintenance of created things The being of each creature depends on God If God were to cease to exist, creation would no longer exist

PRESERVATION, PROVIDENCE, AND GOVERNMENT Divine providence refers to God’s plan for all creatures by which all are led to the purpose or perfection assigned to them by God Every creature is led by grace and nature toward the purpose for which it was created

PRESERVATION, PROVIDENCE, AND GOVERNMENT Divine governance is the implementation of his plan, the divine action by which the whole universe and every creature are led to the attainment of their final purpose The way God guides each creature toward its purpose God calls us to cooperate with his land Humans do not always cooperate because we were given free will

THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE God created man and woman in his image Man and woman were created in the state of marriage because God saw it was not good for man to be alone Eve being created from the rib of Adam is an image meant to show the complementary relationship that exists between them

THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE God created marriage as a reflection of the Trinity Permanent, lifelong, indissoluble union of two persons Intended to be fruitful – we are co-creators with God The human family reflects the Trinitarian family of thee persons

CHAPTER 3 - GOD THE FATHER Angels (pg ) Essential Questions What are angels? What are demons? What are guardian angels? Workbook Questions #17-22

ANGELS Angels are personal, free, spiritual beings who possess neither a body nor any matter at all Angels were present from the beginning of creation “Angel” means messenger In Scripture, angels act as messengers and servants of God Some angels have proper names that connect hem to their specific mission: St. Michael – “Who is like God” St. Gabriel – “Strength of God” St. Raphael – “Healing of God”

HIERARCHY OF ANGELS St. Thomas Aquinas, through studying Scripture, concluded that there existed nine “choirs” of angels with various powers and responsibilities 1. Seraphim – worship God eternally 2. Cherubim – possess a fullness of excess of knowledge 3. Thrones – attend God and carry out his judgements

HIERARCHY OF ANGELS 4. Dominations – assign tasks to the virtues and powers 5. Virtues – keep nature in order 6. Powers – order the lower 3 choirs in how to accomplish their tasks 7. Principalities – direct the implementation of God’s will 8. Archangels – carry out God’s instructions and act as messengers to man 9. Angels – also are messengers and function as guardian angels

THE FALL OF THE ANGELS By their nature, all angels were given a natural knowledge of God God tested the angels to see if they would follow his will Band angels who refused to follow God were condemned to Hell Fallen Angels or demons The punishment of Hell, or state of eternal death, separates the person from God, and therefore happiness and life as well

THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS Each human being is entrusted by God to the custody of a guardian angel from childhood to death A protector and shepherd to lead him/her to salvation We must call on strength from our guardian angel in times of temptation and difficulty

THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS Our ability to believe in and love God is weakened by Original Sin Our guardian angel helps us overcome our weaknesses and discern right from wrong Guardian angels work within us through images, memories, and impressions No words

CHAPTER 3 - GOD THE FATHER God Creates Man in His Own Image and Likeness (pg ) Essential Questions What is man’s composite nature? Is the body good? How is man made in the image and likeness of God? Why is the human person sacred? Workbook Questions #23-26

THE NATURE OF THE SOUL Mankind is the summit of creation because man is the only creature on earth able to know and love God Humans have a spiritual component, the soul, which accompanies our intellect, free will and material body We are a composite of body and soul, matter and spirit

THE NATURE OF THE SOUL The soul returns to God when it leaves the body, and continues to exist even after separation The soul is immortal At the Last Judgement, our soul will be reunited with their glorified bodies

THE NATURE OF THE BODY The human body was created by God and is good. But, it can be used to glorify God or to offend him Life according to the flesh vs. life according to the spirit Our human nature is weakened by concupiscence, or a tendency toward sin We struggle to be virtuous and reject sin

immediate gratification hatred, jealousy, and selfishness ignores the Holy Spirit fruits of the spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5: 22-23) Focused on needs and well being of others allows us to deepen our relationship with God THE NATURE OF THE BODY

MIND AND FREE WILL God also grants us a share in his intelligence and his ability to love God grants us free will, which allows us to choose to follow God’s will and return his love The inherent worth, or intrinsic good, of an individual is measured by his/her relationship with God, not by his/her usefulness to society ( instrumental good ) or by his/her material success The life of every human person must be respected equally, because all have the same dignity in the eyes of God

IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD The be created in the image and likeness of God signifies 3 key truths: God is our Father We have intelligence, free will, and the capacity to love Human life is intrinsically sacred

CHAPTER 3 - GOD THE FATHER Man Before and After Original Sin (pg ) Essential Questions What was man’s original condition before the Fall? What is stewardship? What is marriage? What was the effect of Adam’s sin? How does man become holy? Workbook Questions #27-39

MAN’S ORIGINAL STATE Before Original Sin, Adam and Eve enjoyed an ideal existence Human will was God’s will and they experienced a sinless existence Free from suffering and death, which are the consequences of sin Harmony between man and God, between man and self, and man and others

MAN’S ORIGINAL STATE Adam and Eve also had mastery over all of creation Acted as God’s stewards, a person who is entrusted with the care and preservation of something of value by someone in authority God places us in charge of the earth, not to abuse his creation, but to take care of it for him

THE ORIGINAL SIN God tested Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:16-17) Tempted by Satan, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden tree They wanted to decide for themselves what was right and wrong

THE TRANSMISSION OF ORIGINAL SIN The sin of Adam was passed down to all of his descendants Original Sin separated mankind from God, darkened the human intellect, weakened the human will, and introduced an inclination toward sin Death and suffering Even though Adam and Eve lost God’s friendship, God did not abandon his people He began to unfold his plan of salvation by which mankind would be reconciled to him

HOLINESS: HUMANITY’S PURPOSE The word “saint” is derived from the Latin sanctus, which means “holy” To become holy, to become a saint, we must rely on the grace of God and follow the example of Jesus’ life and teachings Leading a holy life is our purpose on earth

HOLINESS: HUMANITY’S PURPOSE We believe in the communion of saints The unity among the saints in Heaven, those undergoing purification in Purgatory, and the faithful on earth in the Church The “holy things” of the Church (ex. the Eucharist) The “holy persons” who offer their lives and sufferings in and for Christ

HOLINESS: HUMANITY’S PURPOSE The life of holiness begins with Baptism, which give us sanctifying grace If we are in a state of grace, God is present in us We must maintain our state of grace through prayer and regularly receiving the Sacraments

HOLINESS: HUMANITY’S PURPOSE Through sanctifying grace we share the life and love of the Trinity Grace enables us to become more Christ-like Following Christ means living according to his Commandment of love Christ is our perfect model for holiness The Sacraments, especially reconciliation and the Eucharist, are essential if we wish to become holy