Religion 9: Ch. 9, 10, and 11 test

In the Garden of Gethsemane, what does Jesus' prayer reveal to us about how He felt about His upcoming suffering and Death?

Jesus is fully human, and at Gethsemane, He shared in horror of death that we experience. We were made to live forever with God, but death resulted from Sin. Consequently, even though we all must die, death troubles us - even terrifies us - because we were meant for eternal life.

What did Jesus tell Pontius Pilate about His kingship that contradicted the Jews' expectation that the Messiah would be a politically powerful king?

Jesus was not after political power. He is a King, so He did not deny that fact before Pilate, but, as He explained to Pilate in the Gospel of John, "My kingdom does not belong to this world" (John 18:36). With those words, Jesus reversed the expectation for the Messiah-King - instead of coming as a powerful worldly ruler, establishing a kingdom for Himself through violence, He came as a humble man from a small village, and He established the Kingdom of God through His Paschal Mystery: suffering and dying on the Cross to rise again.

When Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do," what did He mean by it?

Those who condemned Jesus did not know or believe He was the Son of God, so they did not fully understand what they were doing. Just so, we do not always understand what we are doing when we sin.

How do the prophet Isaiah's words describe how Jesus was the "suffering servant"?

Isaiah 53:3-10 describes the suffering servant. Isaiah's prophecy helps us see that the suffering and Death of Jesus was not a meaningless accident, but rather a part of God's plan to redeem humanity.

How is it possible that our salvation comes out of something as horrible as Christ's Crucifixion?

At Jesus Himself explained to His disciples, His suffering and Death was part of God's plan of salvation foretold in Isaiah 53 and throughout the Old Testament (Luke 24:25-27; CCC 601). God foresaw the evil choices humanity would make freely and permitted them so He could bring something good out of them.

What do the words redeem, redemption, and ransom mean in relationship to Christ's sacrifice for us?

"To redeem" means, literally, to buy back, and specially, it means to pay a price to release someone from slavery or captivity. Likewise, a "ransom" is the price paid to free someone from captivity. (and, as a verb, "to ransom" means the same thing as "to redeem.") Jesus' sacrifice and Death paid the price for our sins; therefore, He freed us from sin and restored our relationship with the Father so we can be His children and share in His eternal life.

What role does sacrifice play in our redemption?

Throughout human history, human beings have offered sacrifice to God as expiation for sin - giving something of value back to God to make up for our guilt. Sacrifice for sin was part of the Law of Moses, but, as the Letter to the Hebrews explains, the "blood of bulls and goats" (which were offered for sin under the Law of Moses) could not take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). Such sacrifices could foreshadow the sacrifice of Jesus. They could help people see how incapable they were, on their own, of truly atoning for sin.

What sacrifice does God ask from us?

The words from Psalm 40:6-8, which end with "I delight to do your will, O my God, Your law is within my heart," tell us that God does not ultimately desire animal sacrifices. What He desires is obedience.

Why is Jesus called the Lamb of God?

At the Lamb of God, Jesus is the fulfillment of the sacrifice of the Passover. His whole life was an offering to the Father. From the first moment of His Incarnation, He embraced the Father's plan of salvation - He came to serve and to offer His life as ransom for us (Mark 10:45). Out of love for the Father and for us, He freely accepted His Passion and Death on the Cross "like a lamb led to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7). As John the Baptist said, He is the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29; CCC 606-608)

How did Jesus respond to St. Rita's prayer when she asked to share in His suffering?

He gave her a mark on her forehead as if she had been wounded by a thorn from His Crown of Thorns. Such wounds of Christ's suffering are called the Stigmata. The wound remained with St. Rita until the day she died.

Golgotha

The site of Jesus' Crucifixion outside the walls of Jerusalem. A Hebrew word that means "place of the skull."

Paschal Lamb

The lamb the Hebrew people sacrificed in commemoration of the Feast of Passover. A title used for Jesus to identify Him as the Paschal sacrifice that establishes the New Covenant, when He offers His Body and Blood at the Crucifixion to redeem us from sin and the Devil.

Redemption

The act of reclaiming someone or something in exchange for payment of a debt. Jesus won our redemption from sin by His Death and Resurrection, paying the price for our sins with His life.

Ransom

to save or restore someone or something by a payment of debt. With His own life, Jesus paid the debt we owed for our sins.

The Lamb of God

A title given to Jesus that describes His sacrifice to free us from sin. Just as in the first Passover, a lamb was sacrificed in order to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Jesus' sacrifice makes the forgiveness of sin possible for everyone for all time.

What was Jesus' experience of death like?

Jesus experienced death fully, like all human beings, and, after His Death, His soul joined those in the realm of the dead.

Why did Jesus descend into Hell after His Death on the Cross?

By descending to Hell, the realm of the dead where the souls of all those who had died before Him dwelled, and freeing the souls of the just, Jesus brought the Gospel message to fulfillment, bringing His redemption to people of all times and places.

What was the Resurrection the crowning truth of? What is it an essential part of?

The Resurrection of Jesus is "the crowning truth of our faith in Christ" (CCC 638). His Resurrection is an essential part of the Paschal Mystery.

What are two signs, or reasons, we know Christ's Resurrection was an actual historical event?

The first sign that Jesus had risen from the Dead was the empty tomb. The second was that Jesus confirmed His Resurrection by appearing to His disciples: first to Mary Magdalene and the women who had come to His tomb to anoint His Body, then to the Apostles on multiple occasions, and then, as St. Paul attests, to a crowd of more than 500 witnesses. Jesus' Resurrection was a historical, physical event: the tomb was empty, and Jesus walked among us, touched us, and ate with us.

How was Jesus' Resurrection a transcendent event?

Jesus' risen Body is glorified and is no longer limited by space and time - He can be present wherever and however He wills. For instance, He was able to enter the room where the Apostles were hiding, even though the doors were closed.

How was Jesus' return from death different than Lazarus's?

Jesus did not return to earthly life like Lazarus and the other people He raised from the dead. They would die again someday. Jesus rose to another life, beyond time and space, and His Body is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

In what three ways does the Resurrection confirm Jesus' divinity?

(1) The Resurrection confirms the truth of Jesus' divinity by confirming everything He did and taught and justifying our belief in Him and the mysteries of the Faith revealed by Him; (2) it shows that Jesus has authority over death and (3) it confirms everything He did and said was done with this same divinity authority, so we can trust His teaching is true.

What was fulfilled by Jesus' Resurrection? How?

The Resurrection fulfilled the promises made in the Old Testament and Jesus' own predictions. Isaiah prophesied that the Lord's Servant who was "cut off from the land of the living." Would pet live (Isaiah 53:8-10). We can also see the Resurrection foreshadowed in the words of Psalm 1610-11 (see also Acts 13:35) and in the story of Jonah. It also fulfilled Jesus' own predictions of the Resurrection, which He made multiple times in the Gospels.

How do we participate in the Paschal Mystery through our Baptism?

Through Baptism, we share in His victory over death and are reinstated in the friendship and grace of God. We are justified and made adopted sons and daughters of God, sharing in Christ's life.

What does Jesus' Resurrection make possible for us?

Our own resurrection from the dead.

How do we participate in the Paschal Mystery through the Eucharist?

At the Last Supper, Jesus transformed the bread and wine of the Passover meal into His own Body and Blood, which He would sacrifice on the Cross. He commanded His Apostles to perpetuate this as a memorial of His sacrifice. This memorial makes Jesus' sacrifice present and real, so when the priest consecrates the Eucharist at Mass, we are present for and participating in the mystery of Redemption.

How is the Last Supper present at every Holy Mass?

As at the Last Supper, Jesus makes His Paschal Mystery present at every Mass. Jesus' sacrificial Death on the Cross is unique and unrepeatable, so the Mass is not a new sacrifice, nor is it a repetition of Jesus' death. Rather, the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and the sacrifice of the Mass are the same sacrifice.

Why is Mary Magdalene often referred to as the apostle of the Apostles?

The Apostles were commissioner by Jesus to share with the world the Good News of His Life, Death, and Resurrection. Because she is the first to see Jesus after His Resurrection, she is the one who tells the Apostles the Good News of Jesus' Resurrection.

Sheol

The Hebrew word for Hell, or the dwelling place for all dead before Christ's Resurrection.

Justification

The transformation of the sinner (all of us) from a state of unrighteousness to a state of holiness with God. It is an act done by God that requires our free participation with His grace. We are justified by the Sacrament of Baptism, which makes us children of God. Our justification, or salvation, is won for us by Christs sacrifice on the Cross and by His Resurrection.

How did Jesus ascend into Heaven at the end of 40 days after His Resurrection, and what is significant about His Ascension?

Jesus ascended into Heaven in His divine glory and disappeared into a cloud, which is a symbol of God's presence and glory.

Where is Jesus now for all eternity? What is He doing?

He sits at the right hand of the Father as our king and high priest, leading the heavenly worship and interceding to the Father for us.

What is fulfilled by Jesus' Ascension into Heaven?

The Ascension fulfills Jesus' words to the chief priests "You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven" and the prophecy on Daniel concerning the Son of Man.

What are they key points of Daniel's prophecy from Daniel?

Daniel saw the son of man come with the clouds of Heaven. To him was given glory and dominion and kingdom. He came so all people should serve him. His dominion would be everlasting and never pass away. His kingdom is one and will not be destroyed.

Jesus ascended into Heaven, but He promises He is still with us. What are the three ways He is still with us?

(1) Jesus is present and works in the Sacraments especially the Eucharist; (2) Jesus is present in the Gospel handed on through Scripture and Tradition; (3) Jesus is present in the successors of the Apostles who teach and exercise authority in His name. (4) Jesus is present whenever "two or three are gathered together in my name."

Whom did Jesus promise to send us?

Jesus promised to ask the Father to send us another Advocate to be always with us - the Spirit of Truth. Later, before ascending to Heaven, He told His Apostles to wait for the coming of the Spirit, who would give them power to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.

How did Jesus fulfill His promise on the Feast of Pentecost? What happened to the Apostles on this day?

On Pentecost, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit down upon the Apostles, who were gathered in the Upper Room. On that day, the Apostles were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. The same men who had abandoned and denied Jesus during His Passion and then went into hiding out of fear were filled with courage. From the Spirit they received the words to testify to the good news of Jesus' victory over sin and death throughout the known world. They also received the power to work miracles and the strength to witness to Jesus even to the point of suffering death themselves.

What are the four things the Holy Spirit does for us?

(1) The Holy Spirit continues to be poured out upon the Church; (2) The Holy Spirit makes Jesus present in the Sacraments; (3) The Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures and continues to guide the Church in her teaching and observation of the Deposit of Faith; (4) It is the Holy Spirit who comes into each one of our hearts, giving us the power to profess faith in Jesus and acknowledge God as our Father.

What does Jesus' Ascension into Heaven mean for us?

Jesus' ascension gives us hope to follow where he has gone to prepare a placde for us - Heaven. If we die in His friendship, we will join Him in Heaven on day and, at the end of time, rise like Him to be reunited with our glorified bodies.

What is the Blessed Virgin Mary's special role in the Church?

Mary's special role and her preservation from sin and death come from Jesus and point us back to Him. She is our model of how to follow Him. As His first and preeminent disciple, she is a "type" to the Church itself - that is, she is a perfect example that shows us, like a pattern or model, what the Church as a whole is and should be.

What is the significance of Mary's Assumption into Heaven?

Mary's Assumption into Heaven foreshadows what Jesus will do for His entire Church. If we follow Mary's example of faith, charity, and discipleship, Jesus will raise us up to be with Him just as He did for her.

How did Pope St. Gregory the Great carry out his appointments as pope in two unique respects?

The first was his devotion and love for the poor, and the second was his devotion to evangelization and spreading the Gospel.