Part 1 The God-Human Relationship Section 2 Revelation

What do you think of when you hear the word revelation? What is revelation? What do you think of when you hear the word revelation? Revelation is God’s way of revealing himself to us. God gradually reveals himself and the divine plan of salvation to humanity. We can learn about God in the events and experiences in our daily lives. Revelation has unfolded slowly throughout salvation history, or the pattern of specific events in human history in which God clearly reveals his presence and saving actions. God’s Revelation started with Abraham and Israel and was completed with Jesus. The Holy Spirit continues to reveal God to us today.

We cannot Fully Know God Although Revelation is complete in Jesus Christ, we cannot fully know God during our earthly lives. God is beyond our human capacity for thought, words, speech, and understanding. We can still experience God’s love and mercy on earth.

Sharing in god’s life “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is Through Revelation we live in communion with God, or share His life. God created us with a longing for this relationship with him. To be in communion with God is our vocation, or a calling for God to fulfill a particular purpose or mission in life. God has reached out to humanity throughout history seeking to connect with us in mutual love. Today, God reached out to us through the Sacraments. In Baptism we become the children of God. In the Eucharist we share in the sacrifice of Jesus. “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” - St. Augustine of Hippo

Salvation History The first and universal witness to God’s love is creation itself. God’s plan to save us from sin and death occurs within history. God acts within historical events. The unfolding of God’s plan for us Is salvation history.

Salvation History Began at the creation of the universe Ended in the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Fullness of God’s plan will be revealed at the end of time Salvation history includes: Adam and Eve being redeemed Covenant with Noah and the Israelites God’s call to Abraham

Salvation History

THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE A TEST GRADE! Homework Alert! Create a project using the events of salvation history to describe and explain God’s loving plan. Use page 49 as a guide. Suggestions: Children’s book Newspaper Pamphlet Annotated timeline Song THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE A TEST GRADE!

Jesus Christ, the Savior The Revelation of God’s plan is fulfilled in the Incarnation. Jesus becoming man is God’s ultimate effort to save us, reveal the truth, and bring us to eternal life.

How do we know God really exists? Sacred Scripture is a source that helps us recognize God’s presence The Sacred Scriptures are preserved accounts of witnesses who were commissioned by Christ himself Because it was written though the inspiration of the Holy Spirit it is a reliable source of God’s presence

The Faith of Others The testimony of those with a strong belief in God can inform our own approach to God’s existence All people respond to the gifts of faith differently Martyrs die for their faith Experiencing the faith of others can motivate us to have more faith in God

The Faith of Others God created human reason and moral conscience so that we may use them to understand our faith more fully Reason and intellect can strengthen our faith in God if used in the right way EX. Maximillian Kolbe (pg. 52)

Why is there so much suffering? If God is all powerful and all good, how can there be so much suffering in the world? 4 key elements to the Church’s answer to this question: the world is imperfect Redemptive suffering The Paschal Mystery We see only partially

The WORLD Is Imperfect Natural disasters are not punishments from God Part of the laws of nature Human beings continue to sin God created us with free will, or the gift to choose between good and evil By learning to use free will wisely, we participate in God’s work of spreading the Reign of God throughout the world Reign of God – the rule of God over the hearts of people (Kingdom of God)

Redemptive Suffering The Paschal Mystery Because Jesus’ suffering saved us, we can see our suffering as redemptive Our suffering unites us with Christ The Paschal Mystery The Resurrection of Jesus ensures us that we will also live again after we die The Paschal Mystery shows us that suffering, sin, and evil will never win God will bring hope out of every situation

We See Only Partially Suffering reminds us that we cannot see the “big picture” that God can see Experiences of pain and loss challenge us to trust and invite us to put our confidence in God

Part 2 Sacred Scripture and Tradition Section 2 Revelation

Revelation Through the Old Testament The Old Testament recounts the story of God’s covenant relationship with the ancient Israelites These sacred, inspired writings help us to learn about God Inspired – written by human beings with the guidance of the Holy Spirit The Old Testament contains stories of God’s lasting love. Christians enrich their faith lives by reading the Old Testament because Christianity is rooted in Judaism Jesus grew up studying the Old Testament

Revelation Through the new Testament The New Testament focuses on the saving work and life of Jesus None of the New Testament writings were composed while Jesus was alive The disciples shared their experiences of Jesus through oral tradition These men were the first missionaries – they traveled to distant cities to spread the Good News and to encourage others to join Christianity

Revelation Through the new Testament The earliest writings of the New Testament were the epistles, or letters First written by St. Paul in 51 AD (20 years after Jesus’ death) Around the year 70 AD, the first Gospel, Mark, was written Followed by Luke, Matthew, and finally John in AD 95 Evangelists – “good news”; anyone who actively works to spread the Gospel of Jesus; 4 specific authors of the Gospels The Evangelists chose to write things about Jesus that would be most useful to the believing Christians

Revelation through tradition Divine Revelation can be experienced through Scripture and Tradition The Apostles’ teaching authority (given by Jesus) was passed on to the popes and bishops as a way to spread the Good News to every generation Magisterium – the official authoritative teaching voice of the Church This living transmission of the Good News is called Tradition, or the process of passing on the Gospel message

The Unity of Tradition and Scripture Both Tradition and Scripture are working to achieve the same goal These are the primary ways the Church passes on God’s revealed truth They both reveal God to us

Passing on God’s Revelation Apostolic Succession and papal infallibility help us confirm that the beliefs and teachings of the Church come from God Jesus entrusted his ministry and message to the Apostles The Apostles passed on the message to their successors This process of passing the message on is called Apostolic Succession The Pope and all the bishops are the modern-day successors of the Apostles.

Infallibility Christ ensured that all Christians world have access to the truths of salvation by sharing his infallibility 1870 - 1st Vatican Council – Doctrine of Infallibility Infallible means “without error” Statements of the Pope are true in certain situations, such as doctrines of faith and morals The Holy Spirit guides the Pope and keeps him from error when he speaks about our salvation The Pope is the Church’s authoritative teacher The whole body of bishops (including the Pope) can share in infallibility

The Lives of the Saints We can see God at work in our lives and in the lives of the saints, holy men and women Christ’s Church is a communion of saints, a gathering of holy people The people the Church has officially canonized, or publically and officially proclaimed a saint, have led lives of exemplary holiness The saints are ordinary people who lived and suffered just like us They made choices to put their faith into action We can use them as a model for our own lives

The Lives of the Saints St. Anthony, St. Anthony Please come down We can pray to the saints in Heaven for help Many saints are traditionally considered to be the patrons of specific issues or causes Catholics do not worship the saints We ask them to pray with and for us St. Anthony, St. Anthony Please come down Something is lost And can’t be found

Part 3 Discovering God in Creation Section 2 Revelation

Discovering God in our daily lives Every experience of our lives can make us aware of God’s presence if we reflect God is not confined to church We can connect with God everyday through prayer Ask the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us

Saint Ignatius of Loyola and prayer St. Ignatius encouraged his followers to conduct an examen at the end of each day: Find a quiet space Review the experiences of our day, noticing how we responded and interacted with people Asking for God’s forgiveness for when we sinned Offering gratitude for the blessings of the day Seeking strength for all we will face the next day “Find God in all things.” - St. Ignatius of Loyola

Venerable Catherine McAuley of Dublin pg. 75

Discovering God in the Faith of Others We are not alone in seeking God Sharing faithful lives can help us grow in holiness Family is very important Family is where we first learn about our faith Family members can encourage us to grow in faith When our family is not a good faith role model, we can turn to the family we have in the community of the Church, in Heaven and on earth Communal prayer is just as important as private prayer

Discovering God In the natural World Nature tells us that God is the origin and Creator of all that is. God freely chose to bring the universe into existence All creatures reflect God’s glory Belief in the divine origin of the universe does not mean that Catholics are against scientific inquiry Both faith and reason are gifts from God The fact that God brought the universe into being is a key religious truth, but science can inform us as to how this may have been accomplished

Stewardship of Creation God has entrusted us with stewardship of creation, a responsibility to care for and protect all the good he has created.

Discovering God through the Human Intellect The Church urges us to use our minds to grow in understanding of our faith. Theology is the study of God; “faith seeking understanding (St. Anselm) God gave us the gift of intellect to understand faith more fully.