Faith and revelation Chapter 1

Introduction, p. 3 How is each of the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity evident in the plan of salvation?

God and Man: in search of each other Pp. 2-6

Partner Talk: What makes it difficult to know God? The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to Himself. CCC 27 Partner Talk: What makes it difficult to know God?

What makes it difficult to know God? 1. Our human intellect can not fully grasp God. 2. Our language is limited/insufficient. 3. We cannot see/encounter him the same way we do with others.

How can we grow in really knowing God, not just knowing ABOUT him? Small Group Brainstorming

The search for God…a universal desire Humans were created to know, love and serve God. We often try to satisfy this desire with things of the world. The God- Shaped Hole (article)

How do you get to really know a person? Not just learning about them, facts or information about their life. It’s spending time with that person, listening to them, sharing, etc.

God desires to really know us… He is not aloof, transcendent, removed from us. He created us in His image and likeness. We have an immortal soul, so that we might choose to live with Him forever in happiness. We can also choose to reject Him. He chose us first, by creating us and the world. Invites us to share in the life of his family, the Trinity, a family of LOVE.

The Story of the Man and the Birds What does this story illustrate?

He even became one of us!!! Jesus is the fullness of the truth revealed by God. “For by his incarnation the Son of God has united himself in some fashion with every man.”-Vatican II. Through Jesus we can be assured of the existence of God and have a close encounter with him.

St. Augustine…. “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Only the love of God can bring peace and rest to our hearts. When we take something on faith our acceptance is based not on proven evidence, but on our belief in the word or testimony of another person.

The Existence of God through Reason St. Thomas Aquinas, 13th century priest, became a Doctor of the Church, one of the most influential theologians and philosophers of the Church, wrote the Summa Theologica. Proofs of God’s existence should begin with arguments from human reason.

Proofs of God’s Existence By St. Thomas Aquinas YouTube video

The Revelation of Christ in the scriptures and in the life of the church pp. 12-18

Divine Revelation- -God’s communication of Himself -makes known the mystery of His divine plan -realized by deeds and works through time -fully revealed in His Son Jesus Salvation History Bible Saga at Lifeteen.com

Christianity proclaims Jesus Christ to be.. The Son of God The culmination of all Divine Revelation -climax, peak, summit But, how does one make this Act of Faith? How does one know with certainty that Jesus Christ truly is the Son of God? Read p. 13-14.

Effects of the encounter and the beginning of faith pp. 18-23

When we respond to the gift of faith we encounter Christ through… His Church In the sacraments Our prayer Faith community

That encounter has 2 major effects… Strengthens and deepens our faith Transforms us forever Examples: Blind Bartimaeus, Mk. 10:46-52, blind to seeing St. Peter- fisherman to 1st Pope St. Paul, Acts 9- Persecutor to Great Apostle

Faith Theological virtue- (infused into the human intellect and will by a special grace of God) AND Human response by which a person adheres to God and the truth revealed.

Individual progresses in faith, it is a journey. 1. received from others and for others 2. verified by one’s own experience 3. comes alive as one lives in communion with the Church

Faith in God is… received from others and for others

Faith is a gift from God, but it is the influence and example of others that leads the individual to become open to and accepting of that gift. Apostles, sent out by Jesus to take the gift of faith and transmit it to others. (The Great Commissioning) Some grow in their faith early in life, others encounter faith later through a family member, friend, or difficult situation. ******Faith is received through others.********** The baptized have a responsibility to grow in holiness and spread their faith with others, to evangelize.

Faith is verified by our personal experience The Samaritan Woman at the Well Jn. 4

Faith Comes Alive when lived in Communion… We receive faith through others and Our faith is strengthened when we share it And learn from others when we are supported When we support others

Divine Revelation in Scripture and tradition pp. 24-28

A faith professed -- “I believe in one god…” As a communion of believers, Catholics profess a common faith. The DEPOSIT OF FAITH, all the divine revelation given to the Church by Jesus Christ. This comes from all that Jesus taught and was passed down by the Apostles. SACRED SCRIPTURE + SACRED TRADITION = DEPOSIT OF FAITH Why not Just scripture alone, like other Christians? Because Christ is still living today and will be forever!

Sacred Tradition(ST) Before Jesus Ascended, he sent out his apostles to teach in his name.= Oral tradition Later, some of the oral tradition was written down in the Sacred Scriptures; gospels and letters. ST existed from the beginning of the Church, as equally inspired as Sacred Scripture (SS). 2 Thess. 2:15 “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.”

Sacred scripture-- The bible

The Bible- Greek Ta biblia Means “The books’. A collection of many books -like a library different types/genres of books -(history, prophecy, prayer, gospel, letters, proverbs) 73 books in a Catholic Bible

Two parts: Old and New Testament Testament? a. means covenant 3. Old covenant: PROMISE made with the Chosen People; chosen to reveal God to the world, followed the Torah/Law. 4. New Covenant: open to all who believe Jesus is God’s Son, emphasis is on living one’s faith in acts of charity and service, not simply following Laws.

Compare the size of the OT and NT 1. Which is larger? a. OT 2. Why? OT covers much longer period of time (19th-2nd century B.C.) b. NT from 6 B.C.- 110 A.D.

System of Dating 1. B.C.-A.D. a. Before Christ- Anno Domini (Year of our Lord) b. Preferred system in this course 2. B.C.E.- C.E. a. Before the Common Era- Common Era b. Some see this as inclusive- includes all people regardless of their religion

Language of the Bible 1. OT- Mostly Hebrew, 7 books (in the Catholic OT) in Greek. 2. NT- koine (common) Greek

Protestants and Catholics disagree on the # of OT books. 1. Catholics take their canon (official list) from the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible). 2. The Septuagint was written during 3rd-2nd centuries B.C. for the Greek-speaking Jews. a. 7 books were added to this translation which originated in the Greek.

3. Catholics have 7 more books in their OT than the Jews have in their Bible. 4. When the rabbis set the Jewish canon (in 90 A.D.), they did not include these 7 books that were written in Greek. (39 books only) 5. At the time of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther decided to include only the books in the Hebrew (Jewish) Bible. So Protestants have 39 in their OT. 6. Catholics believe these books to be inspired, but recognize that all Christians do not.

7. So Catholics refer to these 7 books as “deuterocanonical”, meaning 2nd canon. 8. Protestants place these 7 books in the back of their Bible, in the Apocrypha, meaning hidden or withdrawn from common use.

The 7 Deuterocanonical books are: 1 and 2 Maccabees Baruch Judith Sirach Tobit Wisdom

How did the Church decide on the NT Canon? 4 criteria: 1. Apostolic- written by the apostles or an associate of the Apostles 2. Orthodox(“right teaching”)- faithfully teaching the truth that had been handed down 3. Inspired- by the Holy Spirit through the human authors 4. liturgical- widely known and used in the early church.

Could these writings be considered for inclusion in the NT canon Could these writings be considered for inclusion in the NT canon? If not, why not? 1. A letter to “those who met at the house of Mary, the sister of Lazarus” is distributed w/in a 5 mi. area. 2. The “Gospel of James” appears suddenly around the year 175. 3. A “second letter to the Hebrews” claims that Jesus ordered his followers to beat anyone who would not proclaim him to be God the Father disguised as a human.

Answer-- 1. A letter to “those who met at the house of Mary, the sister of Lazarus” is distributed w/in a 5 mi. area. - Doesn’t meet liturgical, widely known and used in early church. 2. The “Gospel of James” appears suddenly around the year 175. -Too late to conform to be written by the apostles 3. A “second letter to the Hebrews” claims that Jesus ordered his followers to beat anyone who would not proclaim him to be God the Father disguised as a human. -Does not conform to the orthodoxy of the faith.

Sacred Scripture is Inspired-- Inspired: “breathed into” God guided the human authors to write what God wanted. God is the principal author Human authors are true authors. Not a dictation. Used their intellect, experiences, and culture to communicate what God wanted.

Sacred Scripture is inerrant. “Without error” See quote on p. 28 It is not always literalistic. The authors frequently communicated truths through story telling, allegory and figurative speech. Not a history book or a science book. Is a religious book- reveals what I need to know about God, my relationship with Him and what I need to do to go to heaven.

What do we do when we don’t understand scripture? Magisterium- official teaching authority Consists of the pope and bishops Guides the faithful in correctly understanding the word of God Given this authority by Jesus himself. Also, Bible study tools.