Theology Midterm

Faith

• Definition: Trust in God, expressed through love.
• Role in Catholic Church: Nourished through words and actions.
• Importance: Believing in everything God reveals.
• Role in Salvation: Shows God we truly believe and love Him.
• Personal Belief: The death and resurrection of Jesus, the Trinity, and Christianity.
• Creeds: Statements of faith.
• Examples: Apostles Creed (baptism and daily worship) and Nicene Creed (communion).

Image of God

• Purpose: Help us understand God, who is unseen.
• Use: Images and stories of tangible things.
• Explanation: Common explanation: clover with three petals (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).
• Incompleteness: Images may lead to misconception of three separate entities (polytheism).

Characteristics of God

• Omnipotent: All-powerful.
• Omniscient: All-knowing.
• Eternal: Forever, everlasting.
• Impact: These characteristics demonstrate God's power, might, and inspire reverence.
• Examples: The plague cast upon the Egyptians, showcasing God's power.

Catholic Church

• The Catholic Church's practices are informed by both Scripture and Tradition.

Father Jack McGinnis

• Father Jack McGinnis is a priest who wrote the song "Teddy Bear Hero".
• The House Cup at Xavier is named after Father Jack McGinnis, known as the McGinnis Cup.

First Mass

• The first Mass celebrated at Xavier was a feast day for Mother Mary, called the Mass of the Assumption.

Identity and God

• Humans are made in the Image and Likeness of God.
• The phrase "Oh Nobly Born, Remember Who You Are" emphasizes the importance of understanding one's identity as a child of God.

Eucharist

• Catholics believe the Eucharist is the actual flesh and blood of Jesus.

Xavier Community

• The daily prayer after lunch at Xavier is called the Examen.

Jesuit Order

• Saint Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuit order.

Knowing God

• Humans can know God through the message of creation, listening to the voice of conscience, and through the Catholic Church.

Catholic vs Other Bibles

• The Catholic Bible contains seven more books than the Christian/Protestant Bible.

Christian Trinity

• Christianity's belief in the Trinity states that God is three persons in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Monotheism and Polytheism

• Monotheism is the belief in one God
• Polytheism is the belief in many gods

God's Characteristics

• God is All-Present.
• God revealed itself as "I AM".
• God is Truth and God is Love.
• God is trustworthy, even in small matters.

Israelite Society

• Israelites were a patriarchal society, where men held primary authority within families and society.

Catholic Church

• Founded on Scripture and Tradition
• Eucharist is the actual flesh and blood of Jesus
• Seven more books in the Catholic Bible than the Protestant Bible

Xavier

• Teddy Bear Hero song written by Father Jack McGinnis
• House Cup named after Father Jack McGinnis: McGinnis Cup
• First Mass celebrated on the Feast of the Assumption
• Daily prayer after lunch is called the Examen
• Graduation goal: "Grad at Grad"
• Jesuit Order founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola

God

• Made in the image and likeness of God
• "Oh Nobly Born, Remember Who You Are" reminds us of our dignity
• Two ways to know God: through creation and conscience
• God's characteristics: All-Present, Truth, and Love
• God revealed itself as "I AM"

Abrahamic Religions

• Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
• Monotheistic (belief in one God)
• Christianity is the only one with the Trinity
• Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• Israelites were a patriarchal society

Jesus

• Said in the Gospel of Luke: "The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones."