RCIA 3: The Story and Divine Revelation 3: The Story and Divine - PDF document

9/2/2019 RCIA 3: The Story and Divine Revelation 3: The Story and Divine Revelation God’s Plan of Salvation • God is love, and out of the fullness of His love, He chose to create men and women who could share His life of love (& who are free to reject Him) The Garden of Eden by 2 Lucas Cranach der Ältere (16 th c.) 3: The Story and Divine Revelation God’s Plan of Salvation • Adam and Eve introduced sin into human race Adam and Eve cast out of Paradise - after eating from the Tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden . From Old Testament stories, published by Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London c.1880. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images) • God immediately provided a solution 3 1

9/2/2019 3: The Story and Divine Revelation God’s Plan of Salvation • Jesus – Conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary – Grew to manhood – Had many followers but chose 12 special ones – Died to satisfy the death penalty against mankind – Rose from the dead thus overcoming sin – Ascended bodily into Heaven 4 3: The Story and Divine Revelation God’s Plan of Salvation • Spreading the Good News – Responsibility given to the apostles • Successors appointed to continue the work – Holy Spirit empowers and guides – Many heard, believed, converted, and were baptized • Early Church: fellowship, Mass, prayer – Today: the Church offers the gift of divine life through the sacraments 5 3: The Story and Divine Revelation People of God • Restoring mankind to friendship with God was realized in stages: – A savior promised (Adam – Gen 3:15) – Destruction never again (Noah – Gen 9:8-17) – Father of many nations (Abraham – Gen 17:1-14) – The Chosen People (Moses – Ex 19:3-6) – A perpetual kingdom (David – 2 Sm 7:9-16) – A New Covenant (Jesus – Mt 16:16; 21:9; 25:13) 6 2

9/2/2019 3: The Story and Divine Revelation People of God • All this prepared for the Church which… – draws all people to God – establishes the Kingdom of Heaven on earth – communicates the grace and merit of Christ – makes communion with God possible – seeks to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19) – “is the visible plan of God’s love for humanity” (CCC 776) 7 3: The Story and Divine Revelation The Deposit of Faith • God has revealed those truths that we must know and believe in order to be what He created us to be – Personified in Jesus, the Word of God 8 3: The Story and Divine Revelation The Deposit of Faith • Revelation (God’s Word, the Deposit of Faith) – Sacred Scripture (written) – Sacred Tradition (oral) – Magisterium (guards and interprets) 9 3

9/2/2019 3: The Story and Divine Revelation The Deposit of Faith • Deposit of Faith – Entrusted to the Church – That from which the Church draws life & teaching – Authentically proclaimed by the Church – Faithfully handed down – Understanding continues to develop and grow – Expressed in different ways to diverse cultures 10 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Divine Revelation • Intimate knowledge of God comes thru Divine Revelation – Natural reason limited – Minds darkened by sin 11 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Divine Revelation • Need for Divine Revelation – To be able to know, respond to, and love God and His will 12 4

9/2/2019 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Divine Revelation • What has been revealed – Plan for the human race – The inner life of the Trinity – Truths about the Son of God becoming man to save us – Graces needed to work out our salvation – The baptized are God’s sons and daughters 13 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Sacred Scripture Introduction • Written under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit • The story of salvation • The most perfect source of encouragement and guidance St. Matthew, writing. He is accompanied by his symbol, a winged man blowing a trumpet and carrying a book; a figure holding a book appears by the curtain Date: between 710 and 721 Image taken from Lindisfarne Gospels. 14 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Sacred Scripture Important Facts about Sacred Scripture • Divine Authorship – God is principal author – God inspired the human authors • Used their own faculties and powers to write what God wanted • Wrote according to their own – various times and culture – literary styles – modes of expression El Greco, "St. Paul" (1606), Oil on canvas, Museo del Greco, Toledo. 15 5

9/2/2019 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Sacred Scripture Important Facts about Sacred Scripture (cont.) • No Errors – God cannot make a mistake or lie – Not all literally true – must interpret according to intention of the human author 16 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Sacred Scripture Important Facts about Sacred Scripture (cont.) • Interpretation of God’s Word – Must be in the light of the Holy Spirit – Attention must be paid to the unity of Revelation – Must be read in the living Tradition of the Church Monk Reading the Bible by 17 Gerard Dou (1613-1675) 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Sacred Scripture The Old Testament and the New Testament • OT – Many covenants that made God’s intention clearer and more complete • NT – Jesus fulfilled OT promises • The NT lies hidden in the OT and the OT is unveiled in the NT 18 6

9/2/2019 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Sacred Scripture Sacred Scripture in Catholic Life Today • Receiving the sacraments worthily and studying God’s Word are the foundation of Catholic spiritual life 19 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Sacred Scripture The Liturgy of the Word • Proclamation of the Scriptures at Mass • OT, Psalm, NT (non-Gospel), Gospel 20 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Structure of the Bible • A small library of books – But also just one book: the Word, Jesus Christ • Divided into Old and New Testaments – OT: God’s saving interaction until Jesus comes – NT: God’s personal encounter with humanity • Gospels: principal source of life & teaching of Jesus • Other letters: account of infant Church • Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, determined authentic and inspired books – OT: 46; NT: 27 21 7

9/2/2019 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Deuterocanonical Books of the Old Testament Second Canon – Judith, Tobit, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, parts of Daniel and Esther – Originally written in Greek – Universally accepted by the Church by 400 A.D. – Luther rejected them (early 1500’s) – Sometimes appear in Protestant Bibles under “Apocrypha” 22 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Can the Bible be Taken Literally? Fundamental Principles • Must understand authors’ intent, culture • Not a science textbook • Not a comprehensive history 23 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Can the Bible be Taken Literally? Fundamental Principles (cont.) • Composite of literary types – Prophecy – Stories – Chronicles – Allegory – Drama – Poetry – Regulations – Laws – Prayer – Rules for living 24 8

9/2/2019 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Can the Bible be Taken Literally? Fundamental Principles (cont.) • Interpretation – The unity of Scripture – In light of Tradition – Unity and harmony of the truths of faith 25 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Can the Bible be Taken Literally? Fundamental Principles (cont.) • Senses – Literal – Spiritual • Allegorical (significance in Christ) • Moral (leading us to good and just behavior) • Anagogical (eternal significance of events and realities) 26 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Can the Bible be Taken Literally? Creation • God – Exists – Personal being – Eternal – Created everything from nothing with order & purpose God the Father by Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520) & Domenico Alfani (c. 1479–1480– c. 1553) 27 9

9/2/2019 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Can the Bible be Taken Literally? The Creation of Humankind and the Fall of Man • Endowed with an immortal soul • Alone have an eternal destiny • Single set of parents • Meant to be a community • Complementarity of men and women • Broke the moral law through Satan’s temptation • Plunged the entire human race into a fallen world • The promise of a Savior 28 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Can the Bible be Taken Literally? The Theory of Evolution • Science vs. Revelation – Scientific discoveries can’t contradict their Creator – The process of discovery never ends – Science cannot answer “why” – Revelation needed to know truths needed for our salvation 29 3: The Story and Divine Revelation Can the Bible be Taken Literally? When and How Can the Bible be Taken Literally? – Take literally unless there is obvious reason not to – Seek to harmonize science with Bible teachings • But science is not the arbiter of Biblical truth 30 10