catholic beliefs and teachings - to be continued lesson 8

Explain the trinity + oneness of God

The trinity is one God in three divine persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each is fully God and at the same time, only one God (as Bible teachings show). The trinity’s unity was taught by Jesus as the greatest commandant. God is omnipotent: only if God is a unity can God be all powerful. St Augustine says that God is love, and love flows between the trinity.

What is the Nicene Creed?

Catholic’s expression of statement of belief.

What is a doctrine?

A teaching passed down throughout generations the church

What is redemption?

The forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ sacrifice; part of salvation.

What is salvation?

The process of being saved from sin and returning to God

What does atonement mean?

To make up for; the restoration of the relationship between God and humans

What does consubstantial mean?

He is of the same substance with the Father (not separate, no distinction)

What does begotten mean?

The Son of God has always existed

God the Father

• Our relationship with God is like a father-child relationship

• God creates human life like a father does

• God does not abandon His creation, but has a relationship of love and care with His creation

• In Nicene Creed: maker of heaven and earth

God the Son

• Jesus is God incarnate: God has become a human being and so experiences everything that we humans experience in our daily lives

• God the Son was both fully human and fully divine

• Only God’s son could institute the sacrifice of the Mass which is carried our through all the ages of the Church

• In Nicene Creed: Jesus is begotten

God the Holy Spirit

• The Holy Spirit is the means by which God communicates with humans

• God’s presence in the world

• Enables Catholics to live lives pleasing to God.

• In Nicene Creed: giver of life

How is the Trinity reflected in worship?

• The Sign of the Cross before prayer

• In the Nicene Creed said at Mass each Sunday

• Holy Spirit: through sacraments

• God the Son: through the Eucharist

• God the Father: through the Lord’s Prayer + prayer

How is the Trinity reflected in the life of Catholics today?

• It emphasises the role and value of relationships that Catholics are not alone with God as believers are part of a family, a community

• Just as the Trinity is a unity of three persons, so too must be the family of the Church that must work together to bring God’s love into the world

• The Trinity enhances Catholic spirituality - it gives us a sense that God is ‘beyond us, with us, and in us.’

What is a creed?

A statement of belief written to correct mistakes that were believed in the Church.

What is a heresy?

A mistake being taught in the Catholic Church by a person (heretic)

Evidence for the oneness of God

• Ten Commandments - ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one.’

• Isaiah 45:22 - ‘For I am God, there is no other.’

• 1 Corinthians 8:6 - ‘Yet for us there is but one God.’

What is the Heresy of Subordination?

• Arian + other church members couldn’t accept Jesus as anything other than a prophet for God - they thought Jesus was lower than the Father, not God himself (this was heresy)

• This was rooted in the Jewish belief that the ‘Messiah’ would be human only, and not divine

• Alexander did not agree and excommunicated Arian from the church

What was the Council of Nicaea (325 CE)?

• The bishops agreed with Alexander and produced a statement of their beliefs to clear up any doubts + to stop the church dividing further

• The Creed of Nicaea contained the crucial word homoousios affirming that the Son was consubstantial

• It also stated that both are truly eternal + truly God

• Arums and his supporters continued to argue, so eventually Athanasius replaced Alexander as bishop and persuaded the majority that Jesus was homoousios with the Father

What was the First Council of Constantinople (381 CE)?

• This council reaffirmed the Creed of Nicaea, but expanded it to include that the Holy Spirit was also fully God

• The Nicene Creed was completed here and remains the best expression of the doctrine of the Trinity

Genesis 1

• God created the world in 6 days, and rested on the 7th day

• God creates with His word (second person of trinity)

• God is transcendent (beyond space + time)

• God is omnipotent

• Humans are made in God’s image (Imago Dei)

• Creates ‘ex nihilo’ - out of nothing

Genesis 2

• Focus on the creation of humans + God’s intimate relationship with them - benevolent (more detailed account of day 6)

• God anthropomorphised (human qualities)

• God breathes (spirit) life into Adam

• Shows how man and woman compliment eachother

• Humans placed in charge of creation (stewardship)

The Creationist Approach to creation

• They believe in a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis, that it is historically accurate and factual

• Most dispute the age of the universe and the theory of evolution

• A key man in creationism was James Ussher, who was able to work out that creation took place on 23 October 4004 BC, by joining Bible stories and passages together

The Theistic Approach to creation

• Genesis is to be interpreted symbolically, showing God’s power and love for humans

• God is CREATOR (Gen 1:1), OMNIPOTENT (Gen 1:9), BENEVOLENT (Gen 1:4) and ETERNAL (John 1:1)

• Science answers the how, and religion answers the why

How is the trinity present in creation?

• Father - does the creating

• Holy Spirit - protects God’s creation (‘the spirit of God was moving over the waters’ - Gen 1:2), breathes life into humans (Genesis 2)

• Son / Word - in John 1:1, it says Jesus is present from the beginning

Why are the creation accounts important?

• They show God’s intention for the human race

• Catholics believe there are some basic truths about humans in the creation story

• The biggest truth is that human beings are created in ‘imago dei’ - the image of God (Gen 1:27 - ‘God created man in His own image’)

How do we bear God’s image?

• Rational - humans are intelligent and can find their way to God

• Free Will & Conscience - humans can choose right or wrong; conscience is the voice is God within

• Relate to God - humans are able to enter into a relationship with God

• Give and Receive Love - humans can only find happiness within a community of love (the trinity is a community of persons)

• Answerable to God - humans are accountable to God for their actions

Dominion and Stewardship

• God created human beings last as they’re the most important part of Creation (made in God’s own image) - but they’re still His creatures

• God gives us dominion; we have authority to rule over the Earth

• He also gives us a responsibility to care for the Earth (stewardship)

• God gave us free will and trusts us to have dominion over the Earth but also treat it with respect + compassion

What is incarnation + its significance?

The enfleshment of God in humanity - Jesus. Shows Jesus was fully God and fully human.

• Shows people the extent of God’s love from humans

• Makes God accessible to human beings as he is now in human form

• Without God as human, we could not have a relationship with him + the hope of entering heaven

• Jesus can understand humanity and its problems + identify with their suffering

Jesus as human vs Jesus as divine

Jesus as human

• Had human relationships + emotions

• Human body - bled / walked / slept

• Born + dead

• Felt pain and suffering

• Ate and drank

Jesus as divine

• Miracles: power over nature, sickness, evil

• Resurrection + ascension

• Angel Gabriel announces Jesus to Mary - says he will be ‘Emmanuel’ (‘God with us’)

• Jesus does and says divine things that only God can (e.g. casting out demons, going without food / water for 40 days)

• Jesus often refers to his pre-existent state as the Word of God (‘Before Abraham was I am’ - John 8:58)

What is the Paschal Mystery?

This is how Jesus Christ achieved us eternal salvation through Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension. We must take + embrace this gift of salvation.

Moses saved Jews from slavery, and similarly, Jesus saved mankind from sin. They both sealed their sacrifices with blood of the lamb (Passover lamb / Lamb of God).

What are the 4 areas of the Paschal Mystery?

• Passion (Jesus’ suffering)

  • Treated to an unjust trial, mocked, crowned with thorns, and carried the cross

  • Significance: shows Jesus’ unconditional love for humans + teaches us how to respond to cruelty

  • SOW: “Forgive them father, they know not what they do” Luke 23:34

• Crucifixion (Jesus’ death)

  • Darkness comes over the land as Jesus died, Earth shook as he died, temple curtain split in two (shows there’s no longer a barrier between God + humans)

  • Significance: proves that Jesus is human, allows forgiveness of sins

  • ‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’ (John 3)

• Resurrection (Jesus rises from the dead)

  • Tomb was empty, Jesus appears to Thomas to show him his wounds

  • Significance: proves that Jesus is God, God is omnipotent (as he can conquer death)

• Ascension (Jesus ascends into heaven)

  • 40 days after resurrection, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit would come, two angels tell the disciples what has happened

  • Significance: shows hope that we will also return to the Father, necessary for Pentecost

The importance of the Holy Spirit in the Paschal Mystery

• The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to speak language so they could ‘make disciples of all nations’ as instructed by Jesus at the Great Commission

• The Holy Spirit’s living presence in the Church is essential for the Church to live out + understand our salvation

• Makes the grace of God present in Sacraments, especially the Eucharist

What are the 7 Sacraments?

• Anointing: God’s healing grace unites the suffering person with Jesus’ Passion

• Baptism: humans are freed from sin and become children of God

• Communion: Catholics receive Christ’s body and blood just as at the Last Supper

• Confirmation: humans receive flesh outpouring of grace through the Holy Spirit to strengthen them

• Holy Orders: graces provided for ordained ministers of the Church

• Marriage: graces provided for loving relationships and procreation

• Reconciliation: repentance of sins restores the relationship with God

What are the different views of atonement?

• Catholic Church - Jesus’ act of self-sacrifice demonstrated his Father’s love for humanity

  • Salvation comes through taking the Sacraments

• Evangelical Protestants - Jesus acted as a substitute and took the punishment of all humans

  • Salvation comes through faith in the atoning death of Christ by taking Jesus as one’s Lord and Saviour

• Liberal Protestants - Jesus showed God’s love for humans through his death on the cross but also his teachings and the example he set in his life

  • Salvation comes from living the Christian life and following Jesus’ teachings and examples