Unit 2


What is faith?
Faith is to believe what you do not see.  The reward of this faith is to see what you believe" - St. Augustine

“Faith has to do with things that are not seen, and hope with things that are not in hand.” - St. Thomas Aquinas

“Faith is humanity’s response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to humanity, at the same time bringing humanity a superabundant light as they search for the ultimate meaning of their lives.”- Catechism of the Catholic Church



  1. Faith is a grace

  2. Faith is a human act

  3. Faith and understanding

    1. Faith is certain

    2. Faith seeks understanding

    3. Faith and science: Because both stem from the same divine source of truth, scientific research and theological faith cannot truly conflict

  4. Freedom of faith

  5. Necessity of faith

  6. Perseverance in faith

  7. The beginning of eternal life



FAITH 

  •  confidence or trust in a person or thing

  •  belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion

  •  a system of religious belief

  • the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.



REVELATION

  • How something is revealed or made known

Definition 

  • God communicates God's-self to humankind in stages: through creation itself, through covenants (for example, God’s covenant with Moses) and through the prophets.

  • God's self-revelation is complete in Jesus. This revelation is passed on to all the generations through the sacred Scriptures and apostolic tradition



How Does He Reveal Himself?

  • He reveals Himself through: Scripture, Jesus, people, events, and the world around us

How Does Jesus Reveal God to Us? 

  • Jesus helps us know God in a new way.

  •  The God of the New Testament is a loving, caring God who is trying to create a better life for His people

  •  Jesus talks to God in an intimate way (Abba, Father, etc.)  to help us forge that intimate relationship with God ourselves.

Kingdom of God

  • Used by Jesus to speak about God and God’s actions among us. 

  • Jesus said the kingdom is among us. It is already at work in our midst, but the present moment is too limited to reveal all of it. 

  • The promise of the kingdom is that there is a whole lot more to come.




What do Catholics Believe About Jesus?
Trinitarian God: One God made in three distinguishable yet inseparable persons

Jesus is the incarnation of the Son, the second person of the trinity- God becomes flesh and enters our work through Jesus

There is only one God, and this one God is three Persons:

  • God the Father

  • God the Son

  • God the Holy Spirit

The Persons are distinct:

  • The Father is not the Son

  • The Son is not the Holy Spirit

  • The Holy Spirit is not the Father

Old Covenants




History of the Jewish People

  • 1900 B.C.E. - Covenant of Circumcision

  • 1290—1000 B.C.E.  Covenant of Sinai

  • 1000 B.C.E. - The Period of Kings

  • 721-587 B.C.E. - The Babylonian Exile

  • 538-5 15 B.C.E. - Return to Judah

  • 515 to 1st Century B.C.E.




Themes in Exodus

The Book of Exodus has four central themes: slavery, exodus, covenant and the promised land. Although the events described in Exodus happened many years ago, each of these themes is still relevant to our world today.



Slavery: any-form of addiction, confinement, imprisonment, or lack of freedom

Exodus: any experience of freedom, change, transition, moving on, or social involvement

Covenant: an experience of friendship, agreement, promise, contract, protection, or commitment

Promised Land: obtaining happiness of beatitude, reaching a goal, happy ending, success, reconciliation,or reunion



How Did We Get Here?: The 10 Plagues

  • The Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt for many years and in that time had lost faith in the God of their fathers. 

  • They believed He existed and worshiped Him, but they doubted that He could, or would, break the yoke of their bondage. 

  • The Egyptians, like many pagan cultures, worshiped a wide variety of nature-gods and attributed to their powers the natural phenomena they saw in the world around them. There was a god of the sun, of the river, of childbirth, of crops, etc. 

  • Events like the annual flooding of the Nile, which fertilized their croplands, were evidence of their gods’ powers and good will. 

  • When Moses approached Pharaoh, demanding that he let the people go, Pharaoh responded by saying, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2). 

  • Thus began the challenge to show whose God was more powerful.





The 10 Plagues

  1. Blood

  2. Frogs

  3. Gnats/Lice

  4. Flies

  5. Death of Animals (Pestilence)

  6. Boils

  7. Hail

  8. Locusts

  9. Darkness

  10. Death of the Firstborn (connected to Passover) 

Creed

  • Comes from the Latin word credo, which means “I believe”

  • Apostles’ Creed: summary of the beliefs of Jesus’ chosen followers.

    • Commonly recited at the beginning of the Rosary

    •  Saint Ambrose called the Creed “the treasure of our soul”

  • Nicene Creed: statement of faith



Nietzsche

  • Atheism definition

  • Agnosticism definition

Nietzsche thought Christians were 'weak' because they follow God instead of themselves.  Is it 'weaker' to follow a God of love, or is it actually harder to stand for faith when the rest of the world is just sitting on the couch in the Comfort Zone?"



Mary, Mother of God

  • The Apostle’s Creed declares the birth of Jesus from the Virgin Mary

  • Mary is Jesus’ first and greatest disciple by saying “YES” to the angel and conceiving Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit

  • Mary showed her faith in God by saying yes to him and to being the mother of God, even though she didn’t know all that would face her

  • By saying yes to God, Mary was preserved from Original Sin- this is called the Immaculate Conception

  • Pope Paul IV named Mary the Mother of the Church



  • Mary is very important in the Church and is honoured in many ways.  

    • The month of May is dedicated to Mary.  

    • The Rosary is said on Mary’s behalf.  Catholics ask Mary to intercede on their behalf 

  • Pope Francis instituted a new Marian feast day:  Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church.  It is to be celebrated in all Catholic churches around the world, on the day after Pentecost.  Pentecost is traditionally held to be the birthday of the Church, so it is appropriate that the next day we celebrate Mary, as the mother of the Church.

  • first disciple of Jesus and the greatest saint. 

  • given the most important role in history when the Angel Gabriel approached her and informed her that God had chosen her to be the one who would bring the Messiah into the world.

  • freely accepted God’s will with all her heart! 

  • faithfully served Jesus during his early years, later on throughout his ministry, and then stood as a witness to his passion and death at the foot of the cross. 

  • role in our Church is always connected to Jesus. 

  • we honour Mary and ask for her intercessions so that she can help carry our prayers to her son.



There are four dogmas that the Church maintains about Mary:

1.  The Immaculate Conception

2. The Divine Motherhood of Mary

3. The Perpetual Virginity of Mary   

4. The Assumption of Mary into Heaven



The Holy Spirit

Even though we cannot see the Holy Spirit, he is present around us just like the wind. And, just like the wind pushes a leaf through the air, the Holy Spirit guides us through life.





Key Terms

Ascension- Jesus’ return to heaven

Holy Spirit- the third person of the Blessed Trinity who Jesus sent to help his Church; understood as the spiritual force of God

Pentecost Sunday- the day the Holy Spirit came.

Blessed Trinity- the three divine persons in one God.

Mount of Olives- outside Jerusalem, which is the capital of Israel and holy city of the Jews 

 Pentecost- a Christian festival celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter to remember and honor the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles.

Jewish festival of Pentecost (Shavuoth)- a Jewish festival held on the 6th day of Sivan, in May or June, and to remember and honour the Law being given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.



Pentecost

  • Pentecost has its origins in an ancient Jewish observance (also known as the “festival of weeks”)

  • Traditionally took place 50 days after Passover.  

  • Marked the end of spring harvest 

  • Jewish people renewed their commitment to the covenant with God and offered up the first fruits of their harvest and the first-born of their flocks as sacrifice. 

  • During the celebration, the author of Acts places a group of disciples, women and men, in an upper room in Jerusalem, waiting for the arrival of the Holy Spirit

  • It is as if the room is filled with the roar of rushing wind.  

  • The metaphor of wind is no random choice on the part of the writer of Acts.  

  • Wind and spirit are of the same nature:  unpredictable, powerful, often unexpected and sometimes nothing more than a gentle whisper.  

  • Both can gather or scatter. 

  • Perhaps most importantly, neither can be contained.

7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit

  1. Wisdom: To see things from God's perspective.

  2. Understanding: To comprehend the truths of faith.

  3. Counsel: To judge between right and wrong and make good decisions.

  4. Fortitude: Courage and endurance to stand for truth.

  5. Knowledge: To recognize God's purpose in creation.

  6. Piety: To have a loving, respectful relationship with God.

  7. Fear of the Lord: Awe and wonder in God's presence, rather than fear of punishment. 



9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23

  1. Love

  2. Joy 

  3. Peace 

  4. Patience

  5. Kindness

  6. Generosity

  7. Faithfulness

  8. Gentleness

  9. Self-Control 

Dignity of the Human Person: Pope Benedict and Frances Quotes

7 Traits of Being Human

1.  Humans are created in the image and likeness of God.

2. Humans are called to happiness and holiness.

3.  Humans are rational and free.

4.  Humans are moral beings.

5.  Humans have passions or feelings.

6.  Humans are blessed with a conscience.

7.  Humans are able to sin.