Unit 1: Called to Salvation in Christ Introduction PDF

Unit I: CALLED TO SALVATION IN CHRIST INTRODUCTION What is my PURPOSE in life? What am I WORTH? Our DIGNITY is revealed in the very mystery of the person of JESUS CHRIST who is the image of the invisible God, and the Good Teacher. Who is Jesus Christ? A. The Ultimate Revelation o...

Unit I: CALLED TO SALVATION IN CHRIST INTRODUCTION What is my PURPOSE in life? What am I WORTH? Our DIGNITY is revealed in the very mystery of the person of JESUS CHRIST who is the image of the invisible God, and the Good Teacher. Who is Jesus Christ? A. The Ultimate Revelation of the Father B. The Good Teacher C. SHEDS LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY AND DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON D. CALLS US TO DISCIPLESHIP LESSON A: CHRIST AS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD My Bucket List Benjamin, together with the rest of the class were asked by their professor to list down the ten things that they would do before they die. This was an exciting activity for Benjamin because he had already figured this out long ago, surfing the net for fun and incredible things to do and beautiful places to go to around the world. The only challenge was to list down only ten. So, after carefully weighing all his options, Benjamin happily wrote the following to complete his list: climb Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro, make a wish in the Trevi Fountain in Italy, hear the Pope speak at the Vatican, dive the Great Barrier Reef, run with the bulls in Pamplona in Spain, be a part of a flash mob, Kayak through Icebergs in Greenland, Ride in a Gondola in Venice, let go of a floating lantern in Taiwan, and float in the Dead Sea. However, part of the activity was to one by one delete an item which is considered the least important until you are left with only one goal. To conclude the activity, Benjamin, and the rest of class were asked by their professor to ponder the reason why they chose that one item and how that item speaks of them as a person. QUESTION: What is our ultimate life list or what is it that we consider as absolute in our lives? What is our core? In Latin, COR means heart. And so, we ask the question: “What is in our hearts?”  “You’ve got to figure out what you love… and its going to bring you great joy.” Jeff Bezos Founder CEO of Amazon Richest man in the world. HIERARCHY OF VALUES Ranks or orders human needs according to importance, immediacy, and level of difficulty in terms of acquisition: at the bottom stands the physiological needs, while perched at the pinnacle is self- actualization.  In the Netflix documentary series, titled: the “The Last Dance,” Michael Jordan was shown as the man who obsessed himself with winning championship. Why is that some people, even if they seemed to have reached the top of the world, remain unhappy?  WHAT IS THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF OUR LIFE? It is natural for human beings to desire to be happy. Human beings, embark on a lifelong search for that absolute good, which will lead them to the happiness that never ends. Domine, Non Nisi Te. How do we attain God? Takeaways: By claiming that we are redeemed. The road that leads to God is described as: ✔ “narrow” ✔ “passing through the eye of a needle.” 1. Jesus Christ, the Ultimate Revelation of the Father It is only through Christ, the only true mediator between God and man, that human beings can reach God.  “No mission is activated and no identity is clarified apart from Christ.” PCP II We look up to Christ as the ultimate revelation of the Father, who calls us to communion, and as the good teacher who leads us to the Father a. God as our Personal Absolute Explain Dtv. “The Life of Saint Augustine Explained.” January 26, 2014. From  “ God is a personal absolute in whom is found the reason for our existence, and therefore, He is a being who gives absolute meaning to our lives.” Schillebeeckx, Edward. Christ the Sacrament of the Encounter with God. London: Sheed and Ward, 1963. “God, infinitely perfect and blessed in Himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek Him, to know Him, to love Him with all his strength.” Catechism of the Catholic Church  “To be a human being means to come from God and to go to God.” YOUCAT God, as our personal absolute, gave Himself to us through the incarnation of Christ, His only Son our Lord. b. Christ is God in a Human Way God did more for human beings than for any other creature that He has created: He shared His life with them, which happened perfectly through the incarnation of Christ. “In His Son and through Him, He invites men to become, in Holy Spirit, His adopted children and heirs of his  Matthew 14: Through the mystery 13-21 of Christ’s incarnation people actually live with God, have a special bond or relationship with Him, and most importantly they feel or experience His love everyday of their lives. Matthew 5: 3- 12 Mark 2:13- Luke 18:15- 17 17 c. Christ is Human in a Divine Way God’s coming down to meet His people also means raising them up and liberating from their sinful By becoming human... Christ became an example for all people to follow because He manifested those characteristics that make man perfect. Jesus Christ, through His life, words, and works, revealed how people should live their lives. Jesus corrected the false belief that people are bad or helplessly sinful. Jesus revealed what is true and good about human beings: that they are all When asked how many times When the woman caught in In his encounter with we should forgive, his the act of adultery was Zacchaeus the tax collector response was: always! brought to Him (John 8:1-11), (Luke 19:1-10), he (Matthew 18:21). Christ Jesus did not show exemplified before the crowd demonstrated that goodness condemnation but only mercy and compassion. When He that an act of compassion is not give and take. Doing can move even the most good does not expect lovingly told the woman to sin no more, Jesus showed that hardened sinner. When He something in return but is the asked to eat dinner with the people, by the grace of God, habitual response of can change for the better. tax collector, He someone who is created in demonstrated that we are the image and likeness of capable of seeing the good God. in others. To be truly human is to be like God. That man can love, forgive, show compassion, and set aside prejudices toward others, shows that the divine is truly shared with the human.  2. Images of Jesus in the Gospels: The Way, The Truth, The Life What is the meaning of life? Who am I? What must I do? It is only in the mystery of the incarnation of Christ that people can understand who they are and what their purpose in this world is. Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Before performing his mission or public ministry, Jesus was led by the Spirit to the desert where he was tempted by the devil (Mark 1:12,13; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). The devil wanted Christ to follow or surrender to His selfish desires. In other words, the temptation was for Christ to use His powers for his personal benefit, and consequently, disobey or contradict the reason why the Father sent Him, which is total surrender to the Father’s will. The very name of Jesus, which means “the one who is to save people from their sins” also means that Jesus is the greatest sign of God’s love for his people. Our Goal: Sequela Christi We rise from the temporary setbacks of our lives and we redirect ourselves back to Christ, “once we give up our own wealth and very self.” In the responses of the Mary Magdalene, from In Saint Paul who Disciples whom Jesus invited whom Jesus cast out became the apostle to to follow Him as fishers of seven demons (Luke 8:2) the Gentiles. men (Matthew 4:19); and who later became the apostle to the apostles. Following Christ entails radical conversion: forgetting oneself and committing everything to Christ. Stripping the old self of that sinful life to take on the new white garment of Christ. It is dying to oneself but rising again as a new person configured to Christ, no longer living one’s life for one’s own but for Christ. Being immersed in the waters of baptism all over again and time and time again As we praise God for the gift of discipleship, we recall in thanksgiving those inspired moments when we triumphed over sin. Let us proclaim in loving praise that we belong to Christ by composing a short essay or a poem, with the theme: “Surviving Mount Temptation: That One Time when I said Yes to Christ and No to Sin.”