Theo

Key Terms & People:

• Sacred Heart 

  • Symbol of Jesus’ divine love for humanity.

  • Heart, Flame, Wound, Crown, Cross

• Charism – A spiritual gift: living passion for a particular dimension of the Gospel

  • a gift of the spirit given to a person and taken up by a group to carry out the mission of Jesus

  • A way of being and serving that mirrors a particular experience of God's presence in the world

• Reparation 

  • Acts of love or sacrifice offered to make amends for sin.

  • Tending to the broken and wounded heart of Jesus

• Blessed Clelia Merloni 

  • Founder of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

  •  known for her devotion, perseverance, and holiness.

Key Concepts:

• Sacred Heart Devotion: Centered on Jesus’ heart as a symbol of divine love and mercy. Promotes love, reparation, and union with Christ.

  • Identify the core beliefs

• Catholic faith based community, excellence in education, personal integrity, caring community,

• service to others.

• Charism & Sacred Heart Devotion lived at CJ

• living passion for a particular dimension of the Gospel

• a gift of the spirit given to a person and taken up by a group to carry out the mission of Jesus -away of being and serving that mirrors a particular experience of God's presence in the world

• Devotions attached to the promises - receive holy Communion frequently -First Friday Mass- 9 months straight -Holy Hour/Adoration

• Celebration of the feast of the Sacred Heart

• Founding year/move to Affton

  • 1956 on the hill

  • 1965 in Affton

CAN YOU…?

• Identify the 5 elements of the Sacred Heart and the meaning of each? 

  • Heart – Love of Jesus.

  • Flame – Burning passion and transformative love.

  • Cross – Jesus’ sacrifice.

  • Crown of Thorns – Suffering and pain caused by sin.

  • Wound – Invitation to love and intimacy with Jesus.

Key Terms:

• Divine Revelation 

  • God reveals himself through Scripture and Tradition.

• Tradition 

  • The living transmission of the Church’s teachings.

• Oral Tradition 

  •  Stories and teachings passed down verbally before being written.

• Written Tradition 

  •  Sacred truths recorded in written form.

• Torah/Pentateuch 

  • The first five books of the Bible.

• Salvation History

  •  God's saving actions through history.

• Covenant 

  • Sacred promise between God and His people.

• Inspiration 

  • The Holy Spirit guiding human authors of Scripture.

  • To be breathed into

Key Concepts:

• Stages of development of biblical texts

  • Event

  • Oral tradition

  • Written tradition

  • Canon formation
    
    

• The relationship between the Old and New Testaments

  • The New fulfills the Old.

  • Themes of covenant, salvation, and prophecy continue.

Key Terms & People:

• Patriarch – Male leader of the faith (e.g., Abraham, Isaac, Jacob).
  
  

• Abraham & Sarah – First patriarch/matriarch; covenant with God.

  • Promised land and descendants

  • Isaac born first and god asked to sacrifice him

  • Proved his faith in god through that

  • God saves isaac by providing a lamb
    
    

• Isaac 

  • Son of Abraham, father of Jacob.
    
    

• Jacob/Israel 

  • Had 12 sons = 12 Tribes.
    
    

• Joseph 

  • Jacob’s son; sold into slavery, saves Egypt.
    
    

• Moses 

  • Leads Exodus, receives the Law.

• Promised Land 

  • Land of Canaan promised to Israelites.
    
    

• Theophany 

  • Visible manifestation of God (e.g., burning bush).
    
    

• Passover 

  • Commemorates God’s saving of Israelite firstborns.
    
    

• Monotheism

  •  Belief in one God.
    
    

• The 12 Tribes of Israel (*you don’t have to name them, just understand the concept)

CAN YOU…?

• Describe the kind of people who God calls and explain why you think God chooses these people as leaders/prophets/disciples

  • Often unlikely (e.g., Moses with a stutter, David a shepherd, Mary a young girl).
    
    

  • God values faith, humility, and willingness, not worldly power.
    
    

Key Terms & People:

• Samuel – Last judge; anoints kings.

  • Appointed 1st king

  • Last prophet and judge

  • Warned against a king
    
    

• Saul – First king; flawed leadership.

  • Good fighter

  • Pride got in the way

• David 

  •  Second king; “man after God’s heart.”

  • Created Davidic Line

  • Trade route

  • Established Jerusalem as the capital city
    
    

• Solomon 

  •  Built Temple; known for wisdom.
    
    

• Temple

  •  Central place of Jewish worship.
    
    

• Jerusalem 

  • Capital and spiritual center.
    
    

• Prophet 

  •  Speaks for God; calls for justice.
    
    

• Joshua 

  •  Successor of Moses 

  • led Israelites into Canaan.

  • Led into promise land

  • Replaced moses due to moses and other jews sin

Key Concepts:

• Role of the Prophets

  • Sent by god to:

    •  call people back to him

    • Challenge their behavior on:

      • Open your eyes to the needs of the poor

      • Worshipped false gods

      • Preached repentance

Key Terms & People:

• Gospel 

  •  “Good news”; life and teachings of Jesus.
    
    

• Synoptic Gospels 

  •  Matthew, Mark, Luke (similar view).
    
    

• Temple 

  •  Center of worship/sacrifice in Jerusalem.
    
    

• Synagogue 

  •  Local place of teaching and prayer.

Key Concepts:

• Gospel Source Theory

  • Mark was written first

  • Matthew and Luke have there own individual sources

  • Q source

  • Matthew and Luke used mark as a source

• Jewish Feasts: Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles.
  
  

• Political Climate: Roman occupation, unrest, and tension between various Jewish sects.
  
  

• What do we know about the authors of the Gospels and their audiences?

  • 4 different gospel writers who tailored their writings to their audience

    • Matthew: Jews.

    • Mark: Persecuted Christians in Rome.

    • Luke: Gentiles.

    • John: All believers.
      
      

MAP:

-Galilee, Samaria, Judea, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jordan River, and Sea of Galilee

Key Terms & People:

• Evangelists 

  •  Gospel writers.
    
    

• Jesus of Nazareth 

  •  Son of God, Savior.
    
    

• Mary and Joseph 

  •  Earthly parents of Jesus.
    
    

• Herod the Great 

  •  King at Jesus’ birth.
    
    

• Pharisees/Sadducees 

  • Jewish religious leaders.
    
    

• Gentile 

  •  Non-Jew.
    
    

• Pontius Pilate 

  •  Roman governor who sentenced Jesus.
    
    

• Peter, Judas, Thomas, Matthew – 

  • Peter: denied Jesus

  • Judas: betrayed Jesus

  • Thomas: doubted Jesus

  • Matthew: tax collector

• Kingdom of God 

  •  Reign of justice, peace, love.
    
    

• Beatitudes 

  • Teachings on happiness in God’s kingdom.
    
    

• Mary Magdalene 

  • Follower of Jesus

  • witnessed resurrection.
    
    

• Parable 

  •  Story with spiritual lesson.
    
    

• Miracle 

  • Sign of God’s power.
    
    

• Last Supper 

  •  Jesus institutes Eucharist.
    
    

• Blasphemy 

  • Speaking irreverently about God.

  • Crime jesus was arrested for
    
    

• Resurrection & Appearances

  • Jesus’ rising and appearances to followers.
    
    

• Commissioning 

  • Sending forth of apostles.

  • Baptism

  • Spreading the word

• Peter and The Twelve

  • 12 apostles/Tribes of Israel

• Discipleship

  • One who learns about Christ

  • Live accordingly

Key Concepts:

Authorship of the Infancy Narratives

The Infancy Narratives are found in Matthew and Luke.

• Matthew likely wrote for a Jewish-Christian audience.

• Luke wrote for Gentile-Christians.

• The authors shaped the stories to highlight theological truths, not simply historical facts.
  
  

Midrash

A Midrash is a Jewish literary form that interprets Scripture by reimagining or retelling biblical events to explain current realities.

• The Gospel writers used midrash to connect Jesus' life to Old Testament prophecies and patterns.

Expectation of the coming of the Messiah

Jewish people were expecting a Messiah (anointed one) who would:

• Deliver them from oppression (especially Roman rule)

• Restore the kingdom of Israel

• Establish God's justice
  Jesus fulfilled this in an unexpected spiritual way.

How was Jesus the New Moses?

• Escaped a king’s slaughter as an infant (like Moses)

• Gave a new law (Sermon on the Mount = New Commandments)

• Led people to salvation (Moses: Exodus; Jesus: Salvation from sin)

• Fasted 40 days in the wilderness (Moses: 40 days on Sinai)

Why was Jesus Baptized? Details of the event

• Baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River

• Even though sinless, Jesus was baptized to:
  
  

  • Identify with humanity’s sins

  • Mark the start of his public ministry
    
    

• At the baptism:
  
  

  • Heavens opened

  • Holy Spirit descended like a dove

  • Voice of God: “This is my beloved Son…”

What does it mean to be a disciple?

A disciple is a follower of Jesus.

• Learns from his teachings

• Lives according to his example

• Spreads his message

• Lives a life of faith, service, and sacrifice

What were the duties of the Apostles?

• To follow Jesus and witness his life

• To preach the Good News

• To baptize and make disciples

• To lead the early Church

• To be messengers of the Resurrection

Ministry of Jesus – Who? What? Where? How? Why?

• Who? Outcasts, sinners, poor

• What? Proclaimed the Kingdom of God

• Where? Everywhere

• How? Through parables, miracles, preaching, personal encounters, long sermons

• Why? To show that everyone is loved by God, and to help people reconnect with God

KINGDOM OF GOD

The Kingdom of God is:

• God’s reign of justice, love, and peace

• Present in Jesus’ words and actions

• Fully realized at the end of time
  Jesus as Teacher & Universal Savior:

• Taught through parables

• Reached out to everyone, including Gentiles, sinners, outcasts

• His salvation is for all, not just the Jews

Why was Jesus considered a threat?

To the Romans:

• Feared he might lead a rebellion

• Seen as a potential king challenging Caesar

To the Jewish leaders:

• Challenged their authority

• Accused them of hypocrisy

• Gained a large following, disrupting status quo
  
  

What Sacrament was instituted at the Last Supper?

The Eucharist (Holy Communion)

• Jesus shared bread and wine, saying:

  • “This is my body… this is my blood…”

What does Jesus teach us by washing the feet of his disciples?

• A model of humility and service

• He came to serve others not to be served

Significance of the crowning, scourging, and mockery (Kingship)

• Roman soldiers mocked Jesus’ claim to kingship:

  • Crown of thorns- mockery of his crime

  • “Hail, King of the Jews!”

  • Caused pain

• Ironically, these humiliations revealed Jesus’ true kingship—not of power, but of sacrificial love
  
  

If at first the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus, in what 3 ways were they able to see Him for who He was?

1. Breaking of the bread (Emmaus story – Luke 24)

2. Hearing his voice or name (Mary Magdalene – John 20)

3. Receiving the Holy Spirit (Pentecost – Acts 2)

Who did Jesus appear to?

• Both men and women, including:
  
  

  • Mary Magdalene

  • Peter and the other Apostles

  • Two disciples on the road to Emmaus

  • Thomas

What was the job of the Apostles as they were commissioned?

• To go and make disciples of all nations

• To baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

• Spread the Gospel

Key Terms & People:

• Ascension 

  •  Jesus’ return to Heaven

  •  40 days after the Resurrection.
    
    

• Pentecost 

  •  The descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles

  • considered the birthday of the Church.
    
    

• St. Stephen 

  • The first Christian martyr; stoned for proclaiming Christ.

  • First martyr

  • Stoned to death

  • Martyrdom strengthened christian pride

• Council of Jerusalem –

  • First Church council

  • settled the debate on whether Gentile converts needed to follow Jewish Law.
    
    

• Saul/St. Paul 

  •  A former persecutor of Christians

  • became the Apostle to the Gentiles

  • wrote many letters (epistles) found in the New Testament.
    
    

KEY TERMS/CONCEPTS:

• Author of Acts of the Apostles also wrote____?

  • Luke

• What Catholic Sacrament was instituted at Pentecost?

  • Confirmation

• What did the Holy Spirit do for the disciples at Pentecost?

  • Speak in different and have confidence

• What was the question debated at the Council of Jerusalem?

  • Should Gentile converts be required to follow Jewish laws, such as circumcision?
    
    

  • Decision: Faith in Christ and baptism were sufficient.