Theology Midterm

Holy Communion

A title for the Eucharist that refers to how all who receive the Body and Blood of Jesus are united to Christ and each other.

Sacraments

Sign of God's that actually give the grace they signify. Jesus founded seven: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Holy Matrimony

Saints

A holy person who leads a life in union with God through the grace of Christ and receives the reward of eternal life, or Heaven.

Person

Someone, rather than something, with the inherent capability of self knowledge, self possession, and of freely giving himself in love to another person.

Grace

The free and undeserved gift of His own life that God gives us to respond to our vocation and become his adopted children

Evangelization

The act of sharing the Good News of the Gospel message of salvation. At the command of Jesus, the Church's mission is to evangelize the whole world.

Discipleship

The process of growing in relationship with Jesus, learning from His teachings and example, and journeying on the path of life as His disciple.

Faith

A gift from God and a human act by which a person comes to know God and conform their minds, hearts, and wills to HIm and the truth He has revealed.

Philosophy

From the Greek word philosophia, which means "love of wisdom." It is the study of ultimate reality and its causes by human reason alone.

Rational Soul

The philosophical name for the human soul, referring to the human powers of intellect or reason, and free will.

Salvation History

The story of God's love and mercy revealed to us throughout human history, culminating in Christ's sacrifice on the Cross and Resurrection from the dead which won for us salvation from sin and death.

Covenant

A sacred unbreakable bond of family relationship.

Apostolic Succession

The handling on apostolic preaching and authority from the Apostles to their successors, the Bishops, through the laying on of hands, as a permanent office in the Church.

Salvation

Deliverance from the power and effects of sin. From the beginning, God promised us freedom from sin. He revealed His plan to save us from sin throughout Salvation History. Jesus Christ completed the plan of Salvation by His sacrifice on the Cross and Resurrection from the dead.

Dignity

The quality of being worthy of honor or respect, and of possessing great value.

Magisterium

The living authority of the Catholic Church whose task it is to give authentic interpretation of the Word of God found in Scripture and Tradition, and to ensure the faithfulness of the Church to the teachings of the Apostles in matters of faith and morals. This authority is exercised by all of the world;s bishops, in union with the pope, and by the pope alone when he defines infallibility a doctrine of faith or morals.

Bishop

A successor to the Apostles, who has received the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. He is the leader of a particular church, or diocese, entrusted to him.

Virtue

An habitual and firm disposition to do good. Moral virtues and acquired through human effort. The infused moral virtues and the Theological Virtues are gifts from God.

Objective Reality

The reality that truth describes. It is a reality that exists independent and regardless of one's own thoughts, feelings, preferences, or even knowledge about it.

Subjective Opinion

A point of view arising from one's own thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and knowledge.

Homo Sapien

The scientific name for our human species, Latin for "wise man."

Divine Revelation

God's communication of Himself by which he makes known the mystery of His divine plan through deeds and words over time, most fully by sending his son, Jesus Christ.

Natural Revelation

God's communication of Himself to us through the created order.

Religion

From the Latin, meaning "to bind together." It is our human way of submitting ourselves to God and seeking and being in relationship with Him.

Sacred Tradition

The living transmission of the Gospel message in the Church.

What is the difference between the content of faith and an act of faith?

The content of faith is everything one believes in, specifically Christianity, while an act of faith is one's worship.

What are the basic beliefs of Christianity?

God exists and he is trustworthy and loving.

Why are Jesus and God trustworthy?

Jesus and God are trustworthy because of the Crucifixion.

Who was Abraham? Who was his son?

Abraham is the Father of Faith, the first person to fully have faith in God, and his son is Issac.

How is Abraham the father of faith?

Abraham was the first person to fully have faith in God, setting the example for future generations.

How do we come to know the truth? (5 main ways)

through our senses, reason/inductive reasoning, intuition, authority, or testimony.

Who was St. Edith Stein?

A rebellious teenager later turned saint, dying in Auschwitz.

What is the study of ethics?

A branch of philosophy that studies the moral quality of human nature, what leads to human happiness and flourishing, and what harms us.

What is the only way our lives can connect with God's purpose for us?

Faith

What does faith in Jesus help us to do?

Have happier, more fulfilling lives.

What is the decision that religion necessitates?

Whether or not God exists.

What is it that makes us truly happy?

True religion, having someone to completely bind ourselvles to.

Who was St. Augustine?

A sinner who, after a life of partying, heard the voice of God and became a devout saint.

What was the Enlightenment?

A philosophical movement of the eighteenth century that denied the value of faith and maintained that reason alone leads us to truth, holding the potential to solve the problem of evil.

Why do we say the Church is the Body of Christ?

Because Jesus Christ is seen as the "head" of the church, and Christians are seen as the body.

What is Revelation? (2 types)

Divine revelation and Natural revelation.

How is Divine Revelation transmitted?

Through God directly.

What are the three pillars of the Catholic Church?

The magisterium, sacred scriptures, and sacred tradition.

Who was St. Ignatius of Loyola?

A knight who had a cannonball wreck his legs, and after which devoted his life to God and founded the society of Jesus, or Jesuits.

How do Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium each help us to know God?

By keeping it modern, understandable, and without error.

Who possesses the authority of the Magisterium?

All of the world's bishops in union with the Pope.

Why did God give us rational souls?

So we can be capable of forming relationships of love.

Why do human beings have so much value in the eyes of God?

We are made in His image and likeness.

What does it mean to possess dignity?

It means to be worthy of honor or respect, to possess great value or worth.

How must we treat our bodies and why?

With dignity, like how God would want, as our bodies are directly intertwined with our soul.

Who was St. Teresa of Calcutta?

A woman who made it her goal to help the weaker.

How does Christian marriage express the communion of love?

They complement each other to the point of perfectly fulfilling the communion of love.

What did Jesus reveal to us by becoming human?

The fullness of what it means to be human.

What does the Catholic Faith proclaim to the world regarding the human person?

That we all have dignity and that we are all stewards of creation.

What is Christian Discipleship and what does it lead us to?

Discipleship is learning to love and follow Jesus, leading us to become closer to Him in our attitudes and actions.

What are the Sacraments of Initiation?

Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist

What makes the communion of the Catholic Church different from that of non

Catholic churches are literally eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ.

What is the chief way in which grace is transmitted to humanity?

Through the sacraments of the church.

Where does most of humanity first encounter love?

Through their families.

Who was St. Therese of Lisieux?

A woman who died young and proved anyone could be a saint.

Why are the doctrines of the Church necessary?

Because it summarizes God's word, guarantees the health of God's church, and bears fruit in the lives of God's people.

Why do human beings have such value in the eyes of God and why are we special? What are three things the Christian faith teaches us about human nature? How do these truths give us hope?

We have such value in the eyes of God because we are created in God's own image and likeness, human beings fell from God's grace through the fall, and God has a plan for how He will restore our communion with Him, with each other, and with all of creation and give us a greater outpouring of His grace. We are special because we have rational souls, giving us the power of reason, or intellect, and free will. Same things as value. By giving us the purpose of life, the communion of love; to love and to be loved.