Chapter 5

 Can you give a reasonable explanation of who God is and what God wants from us?  While we cannot discover God purely on our own, we can make reasonable conclusions using our ability to think and observe.

 Blessed/Holy Trinity – the mystery of the one God in three Divine Persons; it is a mystery that God has revealed to us, and it is the central mystery of the Christian Faith.  Unlike other monotheistic religions, Christians believe that the one God consists of three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  God has revealed Himself as the one and only God.

 Comes from our Jewish ancestry as recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy: Hear O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might ~ The Shema, Book of Deuteronomy 6:4-5

 Revealed by Jesus in the New Testament and later on understood by the Apostles  Christians came to understand God as ONE GOD, THREE DIVINE PERSONS  When we speak of their roles, we think of the FATHER as the CREATOR, the SON as the SAVIOR, and the HOLY SPIRIT as the SANCTIFIER.  It’s ok if you do not understand the mystery of the Blessed Trinity – it’s God!

 God is not solitary, but a communion (community) of persons.  If this is true for God, this is also true about us – we are made for community.  Why would this be true about us?

 Jesus called God “Abba”  implies a loving and intimate relationship with God.  Jesus revealed God the Father to us as a loving God who cares for us like a parent.  All of our human image of God is incomplete.  God is also a judge, a king, almighty, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient

 Science can explain the how the universe was created, but it is unable to explain why it was created.  The why can only be answered by our belief in God – who chose to create the universe out of nothing (ex nihilo), to share his love and goodness to every creature – especially humans, who were created in His image and destined to be in union with Him.

 Free-will is given to humans so that they can truly love.  Adam and Eve’s Original Sin disrupted God’s plan, but God never gave up. He sent Jesus to restore what we have lost and continue his work of creation.

 “Why am I here?” – To know God, love God, and serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next.  “What is my ultimate destiny?” – Our highest destiny is to go to God, because we come from God and we belong entirely to God.

 God is also the creator, not only of the things “visible” but those things that “invisible”  Angels – purely spiritual creatures; God’s messengers and our protectors; the Bible reveals three names – Michael, Gabriel, Raphael.

 “I Am Who Am” – God alone IS; He is the perfection of all that is and is not dependent on anything – everything else is dependent on something.  God is truth and God is love – God will never lie or deceive us; his love is steadfast and endures forever.