Learning Task 3: My Personal Credo of Faith PDF

LEARNING TASK 3 “My Personal Credo of Faith” III. THE TRINITY The Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian Faith. In Scripture there is yet no single term by which the Three Divine Persons are denoted together. The central mystery of Chri...

LEARNING TASK 3 “My Personal Credo of Faith” III. THE TRINITY The Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian Faith. In Scripture there is yet no single term by which the Three Divine Persons are denoted together. The central mystery of Christian faith and life is the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity. Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit [CCC 44]. The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it this way: o The Church expresses her trinitarian faith by professing a belief in the oneness of God in whom there are three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. o The three divine Persons are only one God because each of them equally possesses the fullness of the one and indivisible divine nature. o They are distinct from each other by reason of the relations which place them in correspondence to each other. o The Father generates the Son; the Son is generated by the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son [CCC 48]. https://standrewchapel.wixsite.com/singapore/singlepost/2018/05/28/The-Mystery-Our-Call The dogma of the Trinity was defined in two stages, at the First Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) and the First Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381). First Nicaea defined the divinity of the Son and wrote the part of the Creed that deals with the Son. This council was called to deal with the heresy known as Arianism, which claimed that the Son was a supernatural being but not God. First Constantinople defined the divinity of the Holy Spirit and wrote the part of the Creed that deals with the Spirit. We believe in one living and true God who is the Creator of heaven and earth, who is eternal, almighty, infinitely powerful, wise, just and holy. We believe that the one God eternally exists in three Persons: the 7 Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, co-equal and co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes, and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience. Matthew 3:16, 17; Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3, 4; II Corinthians 13:14. The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion — the truth that in the unity of the Godhead there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these Three Persons being truly distinct one from another. Thus, in the words of the Athanasian Creed: "the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God." In this Trinity of Persons the Son is begotten of the Father by an eternal generation, and the Holy Spirit proceeds by an eternal procession from the Father and the Son. Yet, notwithstanding this difference as to origin, the Persons are co-eternal and co-equal: all alike are uncreated and omnipotent. This, the Church teaches, is the revelation regarding God's nature which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came upon earth to deliver to the world: and which she proposes to man as the foundation of her whole dogmatic system. According to the scriptures, all three members of the Trinity are fully God: o God the Father—Jesus Christ referred to His Father as God (John 6:27). o God the Son—John 1:1 identifies Jesus as divine. While Christ never specifically called Himself "God," His Father did apply the title to Him (Heb. 1:8). Furthermore, Jesus acknowledged having unlimited power—an attribute possessed only by the divine Creator (Matt. 28:18)—and also accepted worship (Matt. 14:33; John 9:38). o God the Holy Spirit—After declaring that God raised Christ from the dead, the New Testament goes on to credit the Holy Spirit with the resurrection (Acts 4:10; Rom. 8:11). Jesus reinforced that idea when He commanded the disciples to baptize new believers in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A. God the Father: First Person of the Trinity In Israel, God is called "Father" since he is Creator of the world. Even more, God is Father because of the covenant and the gift of the law to Israel, "his first-born son". God is also called the Father of the king of Israel. Most especially he is "the Father of the poor", of the orphaned and the widowed, who are under his loving protection. By calling God "Father", the language of faith indicates two main things: 1).that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and 2).that he is at the same time goodness and loving care for all his children. God's parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image of motherhood, which emphasizes God's immanence, the intimacy between Creator and creature. The language of faith thus draws on the human experience of parents, who are in a way the first representatives of God for man. But this experience also tells us that human parents are fallible and can disfigure the face of fatherhood and motherhood. We ought therefore to recall that God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: he is God. He also transcends human fatherhood and motherhood, although he is their origin and standard: no one is father as God is Father. Jesus revealed that God is Father in an unheard-of sense: he is Father not only in being Creator; he is eternally Father in relation to his only Son, who is eternally Son only in relation to his Father: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." For this reason the apostles confess Jesus to be the Word: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"; as "the image of the invisible God"; as the "radiance of the glory of God and the very stamp of his nature". (CCC 238-241) God the Father is the first Person of the Trinity. Christians believe there is one God who exists in three Persons. This mystery of the faith cannot be fully understood by the human mind but is a key doctrine of Christianity. We find many names for God in the Bible. Jesus urged us to think of God as our loving father and went a step further by calling him Abba, an Aramaic word translated as "father," to show us how intimate our relationship with him is. God the Father is the perfect example for all earthly fathers. He is holy, just, and fair, but his most outstanding quality is love: Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8) God's love motivates everything he does. Through his covenant with Abraham, he chose the Jews as his people, then nurtured and protected them, despite their frequent disobedience. In his greatest act of love, God the Father sent his only Son to be the perfect sacrifice for the sin of all humanity, Jews and Gentiles alike. God the Father is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere) 8  LEARNING TASK 4 “I am my Father’s Child” How do you describe your own father? Does he resemble God the Father? Share it in class. Creator of Heaven and Earth Both Scripture and Tradition firmly teach that the Triune God created out of His wisdom and love to show forth and communicate his glory. The opening verse in the bible proclaims that God alone is the creator of all that exist; he alone keeps everything that is in existence. Everything in the world including human beings is totally dependent on God. Through Salvation History, God never abandoned us. He had chosen his people and was faithful to them through their history. God promised to send a Messiah who would restore mankind’s relationship with God B. God the Son – Jesus Christ : Second Person of the Trinity He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Mt. 16: 15-16). Jesus as the Son of God or refer to as God the Son. He has always existed in perfect relationship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. His role as the Son is a key aspect of His identity that always was and always will be. Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was. Peter, who would often be the first person to speak up in the group, answered Jesus and testified that He was "the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus affirmed the accuracy of this statement and He also stressed that the reason Peter understood this was because God the Father had revealed it to Him. The Nicene Creed, written in 325 A.D., is one of the clearest statements that the early church formulated to affirmed Jesus’ true person as the Son of God. It states, "We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made……. “Scripture teaches that Jesus is divine in nature. His role within the Trinity is one of eternal Sonship, and He came to this earth as the long-promised Christ, Messiah, and Savior. By nature, He is divine, but He willingly chose to also take on a human nature when He submitted to the Father's will and was born on this earth as a man. Theologians refer to this union of two natures as the "hypostatic union." There are several passages in Scripture that stress His eternal divinity while also speaking of His humanity. 9 John 1:1-2, 14 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God..... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Philippians 2:5-7 - Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Jesus "is the image of the invisible God." (Col.1:15) We saw that the Greek word for "image" tells us that Jesus is the exact representation and the complete revelation of God the Father -- so exact, and so complete, that as Jesus himself said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." Jesus had no beginning. He is eternal. We saw that the Greek word that is translated "firstborn" (protokos) in Colossians 1:15 means "someone or something who existed before other things." It also means "someone who has the inheritance rights of the firstborn." It also means that the person who bears this title of firstborn is in a position of superiority. So, this word "firstborn" in Colossians 1:15 is not a word that has to do with birth, or birth order, or even temporal beginning. And when Paul adds that Jesus is "the firstborn over all creation," he is saying that Jesus Christ existed before anything was created. He is eternally existent. He is fully God, and at the same time became fully man, and He is nothing less than that. LEARNING TASK 5 “My Favorite Image of Jesus” Mount your favorite image of Jesus. Explain how this image appeals to you. 10 C. God the Holy Spirit: Third Person of the Trinity The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. As God, the Holy Spirit has existed through all eternity. In the Old Testament, he is also referred to as the Spirit, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of the Lord. In the New Testament, he is sometimes called the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit first appears in the second verse of the Bible, in the account of creation: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:2). The Holy Spirit caused the Virgin Mary to conceive (Matthew 1:20), and at the baptism of Jesus, he descended on Jesus like a dove. On the Day of Pentecost, he rested like tongues of fire on the apostles. Since the Hebrew word for the Spirit in the Old Testament means "breath" or "wind," Jesus breathed on his apostles after his resurrection and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:22, NIV). He also commanded his followers to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The divine works of the Holy Spirit, both in the open and in secret, advance God the Father's plan of salvation. He participated in creation with the Father and Son, filled the prophets with the Word of God, assisted Jesus and the apostles in their missions, inspired the men who wrote the Bible, guides the church, and sanctifies believers in their walk with Christ today. The Holy Spirit's name describes his chief attribute: He is a perfectly holy and spotless God, free of any sin or darkness. He shares the strengths of God the Father and Jesus, such as omniscience, omnipotence, and eternality. Likewise, he is all-loving, forgiving, merciful and just. The Holy Spirit had no beginning and has no end. With the Father and Son, he existed before creation. The Holy Spirit serves as teacher, counselor, comforter, strengthener, inspiration, revealer of the Scriptures, convincer of sin, caller of ministers, and intercessor in prayer. Names, Images and Symbols of the Holy Spirit (C 691-701) In the scriptures we find several names, images and symbols referring to the Holy Spirit and his activity in the world. The following are some of them: Wind. The Spirit is frequently symbolized as wind: the wind blowing through the valley of dry bones, reconnecting them and breathing new life into them (Ez 37:4-10); the wind blowing through the house where the disciples are gathered at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). In Jn 3:8, Jesus says: “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” In these words, Jesus is saying to us that the Spirit is present among us in an invisible but very active way. We cannot control the Spirit’s presence, but we can experience his presence and activity in our lives and in our world. Fire. Fire has the potential to destroy, purify and transform. So does the presence of the Spirit within us. He can help us to overcome the destructiveness of sin, purify us of ungodly behaviors, and transform us into the likeness of Christ. Fire also gives light. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to enlighten us about the true ways of God. He is our divine inner light. On Pentecost Sun- day, the “tongues of fire” which descended on the Apostles gave them the power to speak in many languages. Water. Water, like wind and fire, has no definite shape, but it is the nourishing matrix of all life. Life on earth began in the seas and human life begins in the water of the womb. In Ez 36:25-26, God promises that the people will be renewed in the Spirit as by a refreshing shower: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you...” In Jn 4:14, Jesus promises the Samaritan woman the gift of the Spirit through the metaphor of “living water.” In Jn 3:5, Jesus says to Nicodemus: “Amen, Amen I say to you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.” The Church has taken these words to refer to the sacrament of Baptism which destroys sin in us and floods us with the new life of God. The waters of Baptism initiate us into the Church, the Body of Christ, and bestows on us the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Dove. In the story of the Great Flood (Gn 7-8), a dove released by Noah returns to the Ark with an olive tree branch to show that the flood waters are receding. At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descends on him in the form of a dove. The dove image may have symbolized the end of the reign of sin and its destruction. It also symbolizes peace. In Jesus, harmony between heaven and earth will be restored and the waters of death will recede before him. 11  Advocate/Paraclete. Advocate is a term ascribed to a defender in court, a vindicator (Job 19:25). Jesus tells his disciples not to worry on what they will say in court for he would grant them an Advocate who will inspire them. The Advocate is also called the Spirit of Truth (Jn 16:14-26), the one who will lead the Church into the fullness of the truth that Jesus comes to bring. This Advocate is our comforter and guide as we journey through life. Laying on of hands. The gesture of laying on of hands is usually performed by one or more persons praying for one or more persons for the imparting of the Spirit (Acts 8:17, 19:6). It is also associated with ordination (1Tm 4:14) and with invocation for healing of the sick (Acts 9:12). LEARNING TASK 6 “My Image of the Holy Spirit” Draw your own image of the Holy Spirit. Explain how this image appeals to you. 12  Module CATECHISM FOR FILIPINO CATHOLICS INTRODUCTION In English we use the word “church” to refer to a building where people gather to worship, or to a community of believers. The community of believers may be a local parish or diocese, or a universal community all connected because of their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. The word "Church" (Latin ecclesia, from the Greek ek-ka-lein, to "call out of") means a convocation or an assembly. It designates the assemblies of the people, usually for a religious purpose. Ekklesia is used frequently in the Greek Old Testament for the assembly of the Chosen People before God, above all for their assembly on Mount Sinai where Israel received the Law and was established by God as his holy people. By calling itself "Church," the first community of Christian believers recognized itself as heir to that assembly. In the Church, God is "calling together" his people from all the ends of the earth. the word "church" designates the liturgical assembly, but also the local community or the whole universal community of believers. Within the context of Catholicism, “the word church means the people gathered by God into one community, guided by bishops who are successors of the Apostles and whose head is the Bishop of Rome, the Pope” (USC p.113). Pentecost: The Birth of the Church In God’s own time, he sent Jesus into the world to establish the Church which came about as a result of Jesus’ preaching and his suffering, death and Resurrection. In Mt 16:17-19 Jesus explicitly speaks of his plan to establish the Church: “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” The Catechism states that the Church was born on the cross: “As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam’s side, so the church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging on the cross” (C 766). But the Apostles and disciples of Jesus need the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit to awaken them to what Jesus has done on the cross, and to help them realize that they are the New Israel who has now entered into a new covenant relationship with Christ. In Mt 28:19-20, Jesus commissions his Apostles to go forth and make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In Acts we see Peter and other disciples acting on Jesus’ command. His message is preached and people are called to repent. Those who respond are baptized and a community of disciples is born. Today we refer to this process as the beginnings of the Church. As we read the Acts of the Apostles, sometimes called the “Gospel of the Holy Spirit,” we notice how much the Holy Spirit is present and active in the early Church. Down through the 2,000 years of her history, the Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church despite the sinfulness of her members and despite attacks from without. “The Holy Spirit maintains the stability, durability, and continuity of the church both in favorable and unfavorable historical circumstances” (USC p. 115). LEARNING TASK 1 “The Pentecost” Objective: Imagine yourself being in the scene of the Pentecost. Draw your own image of the Pentecost. Explain how this image appeals to you. The Mystery of the Church Romans 16:25 “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.” 2 It is very interesting when you looked at the Paul's writings at how frequently he refers to the Church is a mystery. In Pauline literature mystery means truth that was formerly concealed now revealed. Or truth previously hidden now made known. Mystery (in Greek) is sometimes translated "sacrament." Later, "sacrament" emphasized the visible sign of salvation. Christ himself is this sacrament (mystery). "For there is no other mystery of God, except Christ" (St. Augustine). Christ's actions are revealed in the seven sacraments. A helpful initial description of the church is that used by Pope Paul VI. He described the church as a mystery. It is a reality imbued with the hidden presence of God. This mystery of the church is revealed in Jesus, the word of God, who became human. Jesus, as portrayed in the New Testament, is the touchstone for the mystery, message and mission of Church. This image of mystery was used extensively in The Constitution of the Church in the Modern World (Lumen Gentium), proclaimed by the second Vatican Council. Church as mystery opens the richness and diversity of images and ways of understanding the concept ‘Church’. Such images and understandings are grounded in the Scriptures and form the basis of the so-called ‘Models of Church’. The Four Essential Features of the Church One, holy, catholic, and apostolic are the four essential features of the Church. They do not belong to the Church but to Christ, who makes the Church one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic. The Church is ONE The Church's unity comes from the undivided Trinity. Christ "reconciled all men to God by his cross" and restored the unity of all people. She is one because her soul is the Holy Spirit. "The Holy Spirit brings about the wonderful communion of the faithful" (Second Vatican Council). "There is one Father of the universe, one Lord of the universe, and one Holy Spirit. There is also one virgin become mother, and I should like to call her ‘Church'" (St. Clement of Alexandria). The Church is one for three reasons: first, because of its source, which is the Holy Trinity, a perfect unity of three divine persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; second, because of its founder, Jesus Christ, who came to reconcile all mankind through the blood of the cross; and third, because of its "soul," the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the souls of the faithful, who unites all of the faithful into one communion of believers, and who guides the Church (#813). The "oneness" of the Church is also visible. As Catholics, we are united in our Creed and our other teachings, the celebration of the sacraments, and the hierarchical structure based on the apostolic succession preserved and handed on through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. In our oneness, we do find diversity: The faithful bear witness to many different vocations and many different gifts but work together to continue the mission of our Lord. The various cultures and traditions enrich our Church in their expressions of one faith. In all, charity must permeate the Church, for it is through charity that the members are bound together and work together in harmonious unity. The Church is HOLY The Church is unfailingly holy because Christ loved the Church as his Bride. He gave himself up for her and has given her the Holy Spirit. Because she is holy, the New Testament frequently calls her members "saints." Sanctified by Christ, the Church herself becomes sanctifying and directs all her activities to the sanctification of the human race. Because the Church is endowed with a real (yet still imperfect) sanctity, all her members are called to the perfection of sanctity by which the Father himself is perfect. Our Lord Himself is the source of all holiness: "The one Christ is mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in His body which is the Church" (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, #14). Christ sanctifies the Church, and in turn, through Him and with Him, the Church is His agent of sanctification. Through the ministry of the Church and the power of the Holy Spirit, our Lord pours forth abundant graces, especially through the sacraments. Therefore, through its teaching, prayer and worship, and good works, the Church is a visible sign of holiness. Nevertheless, we must not forget that each of us as a member of the Church has been called to holiness. Through baptism, we have been freed from original sin, filled with sanctifying grace, 3  plunged into the mystery of our Lord's passion, death, and resurrection, and incorporated into the Church, "the holy people of God." By God's grace, we strive for holiness. The Second Vatican Council exhorted, "Every Catholic must therefore aim at Christian perfection and, each according to his station, play his part, that the Church, which bears in her own body the humility and dying of Jesus, may daily be more purified and renewed, against the day when Christ will present her to Himself in all her glory without spot or wrinkle" (Decree on Ecumenism, #4). The Church is CATHOLIC The Church is also catholic. St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 100) used this word meaning "universal" to describe the Church (Letter to the Smyrnaens). The Church is indeed catholic in that Christ is universally present in the Church and that He has commissioned the Church to evangelize the world — (Matthew 28:19). We must not forget that the Church here on earth — what we call the Church militant — is united to the Church triumphant in Heaven and the Church suffering in Purgatory. Here is the understanding of the communion of saints — the union of the faithful in Heaven, in Purgatory, and on earth. The Church is Catholic (meaning "universal") in two ways. 1. First, the Church is universal because Christ is present in her. She receives from him "the fullness of the means of salvation." In this fundamental sense, the Church was Catholic on the day of Pentecost and will be so until Christ returns. 2. Second, the Church is Catholic because she has a mission to the whole world. The new People of God (while remaining one) must spread throughout the world. God made human nature one and now he decrees that all the scattered people be gathered. By its gift of universality, the church seeks the return of all humanity under Christ the Head (Second Vatican Council). The Church Is APOSTOLIC Christ founded the Church and entrusted His authority to His apostles, the first bishops. He entrusted a special authority to St. Peter, the first Pope and Bishop of Rome, to act as His vicar here on earth. This authority has been handed down through the Sacrament of Holy Orders in what we call apostolic succession from bishop to bishop, and then by extension to priests and deacons. The Church is also apostolic in that the deposit of faith found in both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition was preserved, taught, and handed on by the apostles. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, the Magisterium (the teaching authority entrusted to the apostles and their successors) has the duty to preserve, teach, defend, and hand on the deposit of faith. Moreover, the Holy Spirit protects the Church from error in its teaching authority. While over the course of time, the Magisterium has had to address current issues, such as nuclear war, euthanasia, in vitro fertilization, the same truth principles exercised under the guidance of the Holy Spirit prevail. The Church is apostolic in three ways: 1. She is built on "the foundation of the Apostles," those witnesses chosen by Christ. 2. The Church hands on the teaching of the Apostles (the deposit of faith). 3. The Church is guided by the successors of the apostles, the bishops in union with the Pope. Jesus is "the eternal shepherd who never leaves his flock untended" (Preface of Apostles). The Church is in communion with the apostles, because all Church members share in this mission. "Apostolate" means "every activity of the Mystical Body" which "aims to spread the kingdom of Christ over the whole world" (Second Vatican Council). Christ is the source of the Church's apostolate, ordained ministers and lay people must be in a vital union with Christ. Guided by his Spirit, their apostolate assumes many forms. 4