Transcript Divine Revelation - St. Mary's RCIA Palmdale, California

Divine Revelation
Compendium
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The information from this Powerpoint
Presentation is taken from…
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: United States
Conference of Catholic
Bishops (October 20,
2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1574557203
ISBN-13:
978-1574557206
How do people incorporate Scriptures into their lives?
•The word of God, the liturgy of the Church and the virtues of faith,
hope, and charity offer us essential sustenance.
•Prayer should be accompanied by the reading of the Scriptures so that
a dialogue takes place between God and us.
•In the Scriptures, the Father comes lovingly to meet his children and
talks with them.
•If the reader stays open to what the Holy Spirit says through the
Scriptures, prayer takes place.
•Lectio divina is a Latin phrase that literally means “divine reading” or
“sacred reading.”
•Lectio divina a way of allowing the Scriptures to become again what
God intended that the should be –a means of uniting us to him.
•Lectio divina aims at giving an awareness of God’s presence
through the fivefold process of lectio, meditatio, oratio,
contemplatio, and actio.
- Lectio is receiving the word of God.
- Meditatio is allowing the word to be present in our
awareness.
- Oratio is sharing ourselves in prayer.
- Contemplatio is resting in the presence of God.
- Actio is responding to God’s message with action.
The Lectio Divina Process
1. One person reads aloud the Scriptural passage, pausing at the end for 1 to 2
minutes of silence. During this silence the members of the group choose a word or
phrase that is especially attractive to them.
2. Each person shares aloud the word or phrase that attracted him or her (no
elaboration is necessary).
3. A new person reads the same passage a second time, pausing for 2 to 3 minutes of
silence, reflect on this question: How does the word or phrase that has touched my
heart touch my life today?
4. Participants share their answers aloud, perhaps using the following sentence
starters: “I see…I hear…”
5. A new person reads the same passage a third time, pausing for 2 to 3 minutes of
silence, reflect on this question: What is Christ calling me to do or become today or
this week?
6. Everyone shares.
7. After sharing, everyone prays silently for each one in the group.
“You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised…You have
made us for yourself and our heart is restless until it rests in
you.” (St. Augustine)
Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354-430), bishop, apologist,
and doctor of the Church, converted to the Catholic
faith from Manichaeeism and was baptized in 387. He
lived as a monk for a brief period and was soon
ordained a priest. In the summer of 395 he was
consecrated bishop of Hippo, the second largest diocese
in Northern Africa at that time, and served as bishop for
the ensuing 35 years.
Augustine was renowned as a preacher and pastor and
especially as a prolific writer in defense of Catholic
doctrines. Over his long career, he penned scores of
brilliant sermons, letters, and treatises in which he
explained Catholic doctrines and defended them against
heretical attacks. He championed doctrines such as
baptismal regeneration, infant baptism, purgatory, the
sacraments as channels of God's grace, and the
sacrificial nature of the Mass, but he never "recanted"
of any of these doctrines, and he died believing
everything the Catholic Church taught.
Why does man have a desire for God?
God himself, creating man is his
own image, has written upon his
heart the desire to see him.
Even if this desire is often ignored,
God never ceases to draw man to
himself because only God will find
and live the fullness of truth and
happiness for which he never stops
searching.
By nature and vocation, therefore,
man is a religious being, capable of
entering into communion with God.
This intimate and vital bond with
God confers on man his
fundamental dignity
Man’s Capacity for God
How is it possible to know God with only the light of human reason?
Starting from creation, that is from the world and from the human person
through reason alone can one know God with certainty as the origin and
end of the universe, as the highest good and infinite truth and beauty.
Is the light of reason alone sufficient to know the mystery of God?
In coming to a
knowledge of God by
light of reason alone man
experiences many
difficulties.
Indeed, on his own he
is unable to enter into
the intimacy of divine
mystery.
Is the light of reason alone sufficient to know the mystery of God?
This is why he stands in need of being enlightened by God’s revelation,
not only about those things that exceed his understanding, but also
those religious and moral truths which of themselves are not beyond
the grasp of human reason, so that even in the present condition of the
human race, they can be known by all with ease, with firm certainty and
with no admixture of error.
Chapter Two
God Comes to Meet Man
6. What does God reveal to man?
God, in his goodness and wisdom reveals himself and his plan of loving
goodness which he decreed from all eternity in Christ.
According to this plan, all people by grace of the Holy Spirit are to share
in the divine life as adopted “sons” in the only begotten Son of God.
7. What are the first stages of God’s revelation?
From the very beginning, God manifested himself to our first
parents, Adam and Eve, and invited them to intimate
communion with himself.
After their fall, he
did not cease his
revelation to them
by promised all
salvation for their
descendents.
What are the first stages of God’s revelation?
After the flood, he made a covenant with Noah, a covenant between
himself and all living beings. Gen. 9: 1-17
8. What are the next stages of God’s revelation?
God chose Abram, calling him out of his country and making him
“the father of a multitude of nations (Gen 12:3) and promising to
bless in him “all the families of the earth” (Gen. 12:3)
I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make your name great so
that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who
curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.” (Gen. 12: 2-3)
“Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Just so, “ he added,
“shall your descendants be.” (Gen. 12: 2-3)
8. What are the next stages of God’s revelation? (continued)
The people descended from
Abraham would be the trustee of
the divine promise made to the
patriarchs.
Genesis Chapter 22
Genesis Chapter 28
Joseph’s brothers journey to
Egypt seeking food. Joseph
eventually reveals himself and
forgives them.
Genesis 41-42
God formed Israel as his chosen people, freeing them from
slavery in Egypt, establishing with them the covenant of Mount
Sinai, and through Moses, giving them his law.
8. What are the next stages of God’s revelation? (continued)
The prophets proclaimed a radical
redemption of the people and a
salvation which would include all
nations in a new everlasting
covenant.
From the people of Israel and
from the house of David, would
be born the Messiah, Jesus
9. What is the full and definitive stage of God’s Revelation?
The full definitive stage of God’s revelation is accomplished in the
Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the mediator and fullness of
revelation.
He, being the only-begotten Son of God made man, is the perfect
and definitive Word of the Father.
9. What is the full and definitive stage of God’s Revelation? (cont.)
In the sending of the Son and the gift of the Spirit, Revelation is
now fully complete, although the faith of the Church must
gradually grasp its full significance over the course of centuries.
What is the full and definitive stage of God’s Revelation? (cont.)
“In giving us his son, his only definitive Word, God spoke
everything to us at once in this sole Word, and he has no more to
say.” (Saint John of the Cross)
Since joy comes only from God, John believed
that someone who seeks happiness in the
world is like "a famished person who opens
his mouth to satisfy himself with air." He
taught that only by breaking the rope of our
desires could we fly up to God. Above all, he
was concerned for those who suffered
dryness or depression in their spiritual life
and offered encouragement that God loved
them and was leading them deeper into faith.
St. John of the Cross
Born in Spain 1542
Feastday: December 14
10. What is the value of private revelations?
While not belonging to the deposit of faith, private revelations
may help a person to live the faith as long as they lead us to
Christ .
St.
Bernadette
Our Lady of Fatima
St. Faustina
The Magisterium of the Church, which has the duty of evaluating such
private revelations, cannot accept those which claim to surpass or
correct that definitive Revelation which is Christ.
Transmission of Divine Revelation
In the Catholic Church the Magisterium is the teaching authority of the Church.[1] This
authority is understood to be embodied in the episcopacy, which is the aggregation of
the current bishops of the Church in union with the Pope, led by the Bishop of Rome
(the Pope), who has authority over the bishops, individually and as a body, as well as
over each and every Catholic directly. According to Catholic doctrine, the Magisterium
is able to teach or interpret the truths of the Faith, and it does so either non-infallibly
or infallibly
11. Why and in what way is divine revelation transmitted?
God “desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of
the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4) that is,
of Jesus Christ.
For this reason, Christ must be
proclaimed to all according to his
own command, “Go forth and teach
all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
And this is brought about by Apostolic
Tradition.
12. What is Apostolic Tradition?
Apostolic Tradition is the transmission of the message of Christ,
brought about from the very beginnings of Christianity by means
of preaching, bearing witness, institutions, worship, and inspired
writings.
The Apostles transmitted all they received from Christ and learned
from the Holy Spirit to their successors, the bishops, and through
them to all generations until the end of the world.
Understanding Revelation and Scriptures
-The word Tradition is derived from the Latin traditio, meaning “transmission” or
“handing on.” When used in reference to Revelation, Tradition refers to both the
process of transmitting God’s truth and the truth itself. Tradition includes verbal
formulations such as the Nicene Creed and doctrinal teachings. Sometimes this part of
Tradition is called the content of the faith. Tradition also includes practices, such as
sacraments, which are essential to the Catholic way of life.
13. In what ways does Apostolic Tradition occur?
Apostolic Tradition occurs in two ways:
Through the living transmission of the word of God (also simply
called Tradition)
Through the Sacred Scripture which is the proclamation of salvation
in written form.
14. What is the relationship between Tradition and Sacred Scripture?
Tradition and Sacred Scripture are bound closely together and
communicate one with the other.
Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery
of Christ.
They flow out of the same divine well-spring and together make up
one sacred deposit of faith from which the Church derives her
certainty about revelation.
15. To whom is the deposit of faith entrusted?
The Apostles entrusted the deposit of faith to the whole of the
Church.
Thanks to its supernatural sense of faith the people of God as a
whole assisted by the Holy Spirit and guided by the Magisterium of
the Church, never ceases to welcome, to penetrate more deeply and
to live more fully from the gift of divine revelation.
16. To whom is given the task of authentically interpreting the
deposit of faith?
The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the deposit of
faith has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the
Church alone, that is, to the successor of Peter, the Bishop of
Rome, and the bishops in communion with him.
To this Magisterium, which in the service of the Word of God enjoys
the certain charism of truth, belongs also the task of defining
dogmas which are formulations of the truths contained in divine
Revelation.
The authority of the Magisterium also extends to those truths
necessarily connected to revelation.
17. What is the relationship between Scripture, Tradition, and the
Magisterium?
Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium are so closely united
with each other that one of them cannot stand without the
others.
Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the Holy
Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.
18. Why does Sacred Scripture teach the truth?
Because God himself is the author of Sacred Scripture.
For this reason it is said to be inspired and to teach without error
those truths which are necessary for salvation.
The Holy
Spirit inspired
the human
authors who
wrote what
he wanted to
teach us.
The Christian
faith, however, is
not a “religion of
the Book,” but the
Word of God –”
not a written and
mute word, but
incarnate and
living” (St. Bernard
Clairvaux).
St. Bernard Clairvaux
The Peacemaker
After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission
into the Cistercian order. Three years later he was sent to an
Abbey, and there Bernard would preach an immediate faith,
in which the intercessor was the Virgin Mary. In the year
1128, Bernard assisted at the Council of Troyes, at which he
traced the outlines of the Rule of the Knights Templar, who
soon became the ideal of Christian nobility.
On the death of Pope Honorius II a schism broke out in the
Church. Louis VI of France convened a national council of
the French bishops at Étampes, and Bernard was chosen to
judge between the rivals for pope. In 1139, Bernard assisted
at the Second Council of the Lateran. Bernard denounced
the teachings of Peter Abelard to the pope, who called a
council at Sens in 1141 to settle the matter. Bernard
traveled in southern France and his preaching there helped
strengthen support against heresy.
Following the Christian defeat at the Siege of Edessa, the
pope commissioned Bernard to preach the Second Crusade.
The last years of Bernard's life were saddened by the failure
of the crusaders, the entire responsibility for which was
thrown upon him. Bernard died at age 63, He was canonized
by Pope Alexander III on 18 January 1174. Pope Pius VIII
bestowed upon him the title "Doctor of the Church“ in
1830.
What is a Doctor of the Church?
(Latin doctor, teacher, from Latin docere, to teach) is a title given by a variety of Christian churches to
individuals whom they recognize as having been of particular importance, particularly regarding their
contribution to theology or doctrine.
St. Albert 11/15
St. Alphonsus Liguori 8/1
St. Ambrose 12/7
St. Anselm 4/21
St. Anthony of Padua 6/13
St. Athanasius 5/2
St. Augustine 8/28
St. Basil 1/2
St. Bede, the Venerable 5/25
St. Bernard of Clairvaux 8/20
St. Bonaventure 7/15
St. Catherine of Siena 4/29
St. Cyril of Alexandria 6/27
St. Cyril of Jerusalem 3/18
St. Ephraem of Syria 6/9
St. Francis de Sales 1/24
St. Gregory Nazianzus 1/2
St. Gregory the Great 9/3
St. Hilary of Poitiers 1/13
St. Isidore 4/4
St. Jerome 9/30
St. John Chrysostom 9/13
St. John Damascene 12/4
St. John of the Cross 12/14
St. Lawrence of Brindisi 7/21
St. Leo the Great 11/10
St. Peter Canisius 12/21
St. Peter Chrysologus 7/30
St. Peter Damian 2/21
St. Robert Bellarmine 9/17
St. Teresa of Avila 10/15
St. Therese of Lisieux 10/1
St. Thomas Aquinas 1/28
19. How is Sacred Scripture read?
Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted with the help of the
Holy Spirit and under the guidance of the Magisterium of the Church
according to three criteria:
1. It must be read with attention to the content to the content and
unity of the whole Scripture.
2. It must be read with in the living Tradition of the Church.
3. It must be read with attention to the analogy of faith , that is, the
inner harmony which exists among the truths of the faith
themselves.
ANALOGY OF FAITH
The Catholic doctrine that every individual statement of belief must
be understood in the light of the Church's whole objective body of
faith.
20. What is the Canon of Scripture?
The Canon of Scripture is the complete list of sacred writings, which
the Church has come to recognize through Apostolic Tradition.
The Canon consists of:
46 Books of the Old Testament
27 Books of the new Testament
21. What is the importance of the Old Testament for Christians?
Christians venerate the Old Testament as the true word of God
All of the books of the Old Testament are divinely inspired and retain
a permanent value.
They bear witness to the divine pedagogy of God’s saving love.
They are written, above all, to prepare for the coming of Christ, the
Savior of the Universe.
22. What is the importance of the New Testament for Christians?
The New Testament, whose central object is Jesus Christ, conveys to
us the ultimate truth of divine Revelation.
Within the New Testament the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John are the heart of all the Scriptures because they are the
principle witness to the life and teaching of Jesus.
As such, they hold a unique place in the Church.
The association between the Four Evangelists and four living creatures seems to have been
made first by St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c.120-202 AD), as part of an argument against heretics that
there are only four gospels:
For the cherubim, too, were four-faced, and their faces were images of the dispensation of the Son of God. The
first living creature was like a lion, symbolizing His effectual working, His leadership, and royal power; the second
was like a calf, signifying His sacrificial and sacerdotal order; but the third had, as it were, the face as of a man - an
evident description of His advent as a human being; the fourth was like a flying eagle, pointing out the gift of the
Spirit hovering with His wings over the Church. And therefore the Gospels are in accord with these things, among
which Christ Jesus is seated. " (Against Heresies, 3.11.8)
Other early theologians who made the symbolic association include St. Jerome (347-420) and St.
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD). Interestingly, all three writers applied the symbols to different
evangelists, based on their varying interpretations of the animal symbols and the main themes of the
Gospels.
Apocalyptic
Creature
Symbolizes
Theme of
the Gospel
Matthew
winged human
Luke
winged ox
John
eagle
humanity, reason royalty, courage,
resurrection
sacrifice, strength
sky, heavens, spirit
manhood of
Christ
Christ as king
Christ as priest and Christ's divine nature
sacrifice
John the Baptist
roaring like lion in
the wilderness
temple duties of
Zacharias
Gospel Begins With Christ's
geneology from
Abraham
Mark
winged lion
Christ as Logos
23. What is the unity that exists between the Old and the New
Testaments?
Scripture is one insofar as the Word of God is one.
God’s plan of salvation is one, and the divine inspiration of both
Testaments is one.
The Old Testament
prepares for the New
The New Testament fulfills
the Old.
The two shed light on each other.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church encourages an awareness of and an appreciation for
biblical typology in the study of Sacred Scripture:
The Church, as early as apostolic times, and then constantly in her Tradition, has illuminated the
unity of the divine plan in the two Testaments through typology, which discerns in God's works of
the Old Covenant prefiguration of what he accomplished in the fullness of time in the person of
his incarnate Son (CCC#128).
Christians therefore read the Old Testament in the light of Christ crucified and risen. Such
typological reading discloses the inexhaustible content of the Old Testament; but it must not
make us forget that the Old Testament retains its own intrinsic value as Revelation reaffirmed by
our Lord himself. Besides, the New Testament has to be read in the light of the Old. Early
Christian catechesis made constant use of the Old Testament. As an old saying put it, the New
Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New (CCC# 129; the
last line paraphrases St. Augustine).
Typology indicates the dynamic movement toward the fulfillment of the divine plan when "God
[will] be everything to everyone." Nor do the calling of the patriarchs and the exodus from
Egypt, for example, lose their own value in God's plan, from the mere fact that they were
intermediate stages (CCC# 130).
24. What role does Sacred Scripture play in the life of the Church
Sacred Scripture gives support and vigor to the life of the Church.
For the children of the Church, it is a confirmation of faith, food for
the soul and the fount of spiritual life.
Sacred Scripture is the soul of theology and of pastoral preaching.
The Psalmist says that it is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my
path” (Psalm 119:105)
The Church, therefore exhorts all to read Sacred Scripture
frequently because “ignorance of the Scripture is ignorance of
Christ (Saint Jerome).
St. Jerome
Born: 347
Birthplace: Pannonia (now
Slovenia)
Died: 420
Best Known As: The
medieval scholar behind the
Latin translation of the Bible
Also known as Sophronius, Jerome was a medieval church scholar, first a hermit and then a
secretary to Pope Damasus in the 380s. From there he went to Palestine and devoted himself
to study and writing. He wrote ecclesiastical histories, exegeses and translations, and is
credited with shaping the Latin version of the Bible (called the Vulgate) from Hebrew and
Greek texts.