RCIA 1: God, the Trinity, Creation, and Angels 1: God, the - - PDF document

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RCIA 1: God, the Trinity, Creation, and Angels 1: God, the - - PDF document

Jan 11, 2024 35 likes •139 views

9/2/2019 RCIA 1: God, the Trinity, Creation, and Angels 1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels Does God Exist? Does God exist? Is God indifferent? Is God sleeping or dead? 2 1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels Does

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RCIA

1: God, the Trinity, Creation, and Angels

1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

Does God Exist?

  • Does God exist?
  • Is God indifferent?
  • Is God sleeping or dead?

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

Does God Exist?

  • We yearn for happiness and everlasting life
  • We see an orderly and

powerful creation

  • We desire truth, beauty,

and love

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

Does God Exist?

  • Certain knowledge through the created world

– Order – Beauty – Majesty – Natural glory

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

Does God Exist?

  • Knowledge thru human reason & conscience

– We try to make sense of everything – We seek meaning for our lives and our world – Conscience reminds us continually of God’s presence

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

The Attributes of God

Introduction

  • Who is God?

– Learning about Him is to develop a relationship with Him!

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

The Attributes of God

God is One

  • “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our

God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your might.” (Deut 6:4-5)

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

The Attributes of God

God is Eternal

  • Transcendent

(timeless)

  • Changeless
  • Yahweh: God

simply “is”

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

The Attributes of God

God is Almighty

  • Lord over all things
  • Infinite power
  • Yet we are created with

freedom to choose good

  • r evil
  • Faith required

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The Attributes of God

God is Holy and Good

  • “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty”

(Rev 4:8)

  • God permits evil,

and brings good from it, but is not the source or cause of evil

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

The Attributes of God

God is Truth “[S]o shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Is 55:11)

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Russian icon of the Prophet Isaiah, 18th century (iconostasis of Transfiguration Church, Kizhi monastery, Karelia, Russia).

1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

The Attributes of God

God is Love

  • We have been created out of love
  • He desires what is best for us
  • Happiness secured thru His Son
  • We are free to refuse His love

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The Attributes of God

Faith in God

  • Means…

– He must be first and be served because He is almighty – we must walk in the light of truth – we must trust in His providence because of His mercy and love

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The Blessed Trinity

The Revelation of the Trinity

  • Old Testament hints
  • New Testament proclaims

– Conception – Baptism – Transfiguration

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The Baptism of Christ by Navarrete el Mudo (1526-1579)

1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

The Blessed Trinity

Relationship of the Three Persons to One Another

  • All Persons eternally give themselves to each
  • ther – a communion of love
  • The Son is eternally begotten,

not made

  • The Spirit is the love between

Father & Son

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The Blessed Trinity

The “Works” of Each Person of the Blessed Trinity

  • Father: Creator
  • Son: Revealer, Exemplar,

Redeemer

  • Holy Spirit: Empowerer,

Guide, Sanctifier

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

The Blessed Trinity

The Trinity as Mystery

  • “The central mystery of Christian faith and life”

(CCC 234)

  • A reality we cannot fully

comprehend

  • Reason alone could never

conceive this

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

God the Father

Introduction

  • Intimations in the Old Testament
  • Full revelation in the New Testament

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God the Father

God and the Christian Family

  • The fruitful family profoundly reflects the Trinity

– Our first experience of father & mother and a reflection of God

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

God the Father

The Father of Jesus

  • All-perfect, all-powerful, all-loving
  • Deeply desires our

happiness and peace

  • He longs for us to know Him

and to rest in Him

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The Return of the Prodigal Son (1662–1669) by Rembrandt (Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg)

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God the Creator

  • Genesis 1:1-3

– God created out of nothing – God holds everything in existence – God creates to show forth and communicate His glory – God creates out

  • f goodness and

love

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God the Creator

  • What we reflect and what we owe

– Laws and creatures reflect God’s goodness and beauty – We owe God everything and are bound to obey Him and give Him an account of our lives

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

God the Creator

  • Our own participation in creation

– We participate in God’s creative work through

  • sex
  • arts
  • sciences
  • communications
  • transportation
  • medicine
  • stewardship

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1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

God the Creator

  • Good from evil

– God did not create evil and does not will it, but can bring good from it (see Rom 8:28)

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  • St. Michael vanquishes Satan by Guido Reni (altarpiece

in Santa Maria della Concezione Church in Rome)

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Beauty

  • True beauty…

– is a creation of God – is a reflection of God’s glory and grandeur – emanates from God – is shown in the universe’s order and harmony – delights eye and mind, lifts soul to contemplation, recognition, love

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Beauty

  • God’s beauty reflected in us

– Destined for immortality, joy, & friendship w/God – Sharing truth, beauty, goodness – Created in His image – Intellect – Free will – Capacity to create

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Mosaic from the Cathedral of Monreale, Sicily

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Angels

  • The nature of angels

– Intelligent and free beings – Glory surpasses humans until we achieve heaven – No physical body – pure spirit – Part of creation since the beginning – Not bound by space and time

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Angels

  • The mission of angels

– Messengers of God – Announced Jesus and ministered to Him – Mission continues in the life and work of the Church – Guardians of humans

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Song of the Angels (1881) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

1: God, the Trinity, Creation, & Angels

Angels

  • The fate of the angels

– Choice to serve/not serve God made at creation – Created good but some embraced evil

  • Cannot change this decision
  • Seek to deceive us & convince

us to disobey God

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Adam and Eve by Lucas Cranach l'Ancien (1472-1553)

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