Divine Revelation Lesson Notes PDF

Divine Revelation Lesson Notes 1. What is Faith? The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines faith in this way: Faith Definition: The theological virtue by which we believe in God and all that He has revealed. Consider this truth that...

Divine Revelation Lesson Notes 1. What is Faith? The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines faith in this way: Faith Definition: The theological virtue by which we believe in God and all that He has revealed. Consider this truth that we all believe: The Earth revolves around the sun. How do you know this is true? Have we proven it ourselves? There are lots of beliefs we have that we haven’t proved ourselves. Chances are, we trusted a teacher, parent, book, etc and took their word for it. But should we trust everything we are told? How can we determine if a source is trustworthy? Possible answers: The person is usually trustworthy, the person has an expertise in the subject, the source seems official and backed up with research, etc. Why do we believe that God is trustworthy in everything he says? How do we know He isn’t wrong? Or that He isn’t lying? As Christians, we believe that God is omniscient and that He is Truth itself. ○ Omniscience means “all knowing”. God knows has absolute knowledge of everything past, present, and future. ○ Since God's essence is Truth itself, He cannot lie. As the source and fullness of all truth, it is impossible for Him to act against His own essence. Since God is omniscient and cannot lie, we can have absolute certainty in everything God says, even if we don't completely understand it. This confidence and trust in God’s revelation is what we call “faith”. 2. What is Divine Revelation? By our natural reason, we can come to know many things about God. For example: He exists He is all-powerful He is all-good He is all-knowing He is eternal Etc. However, there are things about God that we can’t discover by our reason alone; Our limited minds cannot possibly comprehend the infinite God. Because God loves us and wants us to know and love Him, he has freely chosen to reveal Himself to us. This is called Divine Revelation.  Divine Revelation Definition: God’s free choice to make Himself and His will known to us. The fullness of everything that God wanted to reveal to us is revealed in Jesus. Jesus taught us about God and his Kingdom during His life, and He established the Church to ensure that everything He taught would be preserved and handed on to all future generations until the end of time. Divine Revelation is handed down to us through two sources: 1. Sacred Scripture Definition: The inspired word of God passed down in written form (AKA the Bible). 2. Sacred Tradition Definition: Divine Revelation passed on in non-written form. The Apostles handed on everything Jesus taught to future generations, either orally (Sacred Tradition) or in writing (Sacred Scripture). This has continued through the ages by Apostolic Succession. Apostolic Succession Definition: The unbroken line of authority passed on from the Apostles to the pope and bishops down through the ages. 3. What is the Magisterium? The task of interpreting Scripture and Tradition has been entrusted to the magisterium, or the teaching authority of the Church. To prevent chaos and confusion, the magisterium, guided by the Holy Spirit, helps correctly interpret Scripture and Tradition according to what God originally intended. Magisterium Definition: The teaching authority of the Church exercised by the Pope and bishops. “Yet the Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it” (CCC 86) "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls." CCC 95